A Layman's Translation of the New Testament

8/9/2019 A Layman's Translation of the New Testament

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A Layman’s Translationof the

New Testament

Public domain

Translation by Joel Cartmell

Edited by Lorraine Cartmell



Preface

This is a dynamic equivalent translation, which is a crossbetween a literal translation and a paraphrase. Parts of thistranslation are translated word for word, and other parts areparaphrased. I would not recommend this translation for biblestudy unless a literal translation is used alongside it. The

purpose of this translation is to make the New Testament easyto read and understand. I am only a layman, and I have nocredentials. But I love the bible and wanted to translate theNew Testament in a way that I could easily understand andquickly read through. I have worked on this for many yearsunder much affliction, but I thank God for His grace! I couldnot have done this without God’s help. I also thank God for mywife. She has helped me greatly and has patiently supportedme. I thank the Lord for my two daughters Jaine and Abbey! I

also thank the Lord for all that my parents have done for us.

“Though He slay me, I will put my hope in Him; I will con-tinue to declare that He is my friend.”(Job 13:15)

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessingand honour and glory and power forever and ever!”(Revelation 5:13)

Joel Cartmell



My Testimony

Hi, my name is Joel Cartmell, and this is my testimony:

I used to read the Bible for hours every day for many years,but it became too much for me because of my declining health.So I decided to go through the Epistles word for word, in orderto study the bible more in depth. I started going through theEpistles, writing everything down by hand. Over the years Islowly worked on the Epistles while my health continued todecline. I always had headaches and my brain was always in afog. Eventually it got to the point where I could only compre-hend a few words of the verse I was working on.

My muscles ended up getting worse and worse, I struggled just to sit down and work on the Epistles. Sometimes I put abelt tightly around my stomach in order to support my body,to help me sit on the chair. Between my muscles and pinchednerves, I had to force my arms and shoulders to work while

flipping through books all day long. I had to force my arm tomove the mouse, my thumb to hold the mouse, and my finger

just to click it. I was in constant pain, always trying to forceeverything to work.

I found out that I had adrenal exhaustion. I could hardlysleep and my body was not functioning well. I eventually be-came like a zombie. I could hardly think and I struggled totalk. I felt so fatigued that I just wanted to die!

In the middle of the night I would get up to work on theEpistles, because I could not sleep. My eyes were so sensitiveto light because of my adrenals that I had to put on sunglasses just to look at the computer screen. Even sun glasseswere not good enough; I could hardly bear looking at thescreen. The brightness of the screen would cause my adrenalinto go crazy and my body was too weak to handle it.

If a phone rang, a dog barked, or anything loud happened,my head would go weird; like on a windy day when the lights



go dim and then come back again. If I was in a public place itfelt like my knees were going to buckle and that I was going tolose consciousness. My fatigue, physically and mentally, wasextremely bad. All I desired to do was to lie in bed all day long,but I would not allow myself too. Every second or third day Icould not sleep, and when I did sleep it was not for long. And

just because I did not sleep that night, did not mean that Iwould sleep the next. At my worst I was averaging 2 hours of sleep a day, and I would wake up every ten minutes. It seemedweird to me that people could sleep, because it was so foreignto me at the time.

It got to the point where I could hardly pray. I would praylike this: “Faith, patience. Okay, what was I praying again? Oh

yeah: faith, patience. What was it again? Oh yeah: faith. Whatwas the other word again? Oh: patience.” Then I would forgetthat I was praying. I would repeat this over and over again.

Things were so bad that if I put on worship music and wor-shiped God for just five minutes, my adrenalin would go crazyand I would not sleep that night! So for the most part I couldnot pray or worship. Instead, I would go through the Epistles

word by word. But there came a time when I could not even dothat.

By God’s grace I finished the Epistles, and after a while Istarted back up on Acts and Revelation. I would be so tiredand fatigued that it was a struggle to even look at a verse. Iremember looking at the clock once, and then fifteen minuteslater I still could not get through reading the verse I was on. Itwas too much for me and I just could not do it, no matter how

much I tried. I would regularly get these weird pings thatwould shoot up my back, and I would even get them in myhead. So much so, that it would be very hard for me to contin-ue working on things. When I was doing the side notes forRevelation, I was in such a fog that it was utterly devastating! Icould not think straight or remember what I had just read. Itseemed impossible for me to do. However, with God’s help, Iwas able to work through Acts and Revelation.

The Gospels were utter torment! I would complain to mywife about this most every morning. It was the hardest thing Ihave ever done in my life. And if things were not hard enough,



we ended up on welfare because after having our first child mywife could not work and so we had no income during this time.However, by God’s Grace I was able to finish. All praise be toGod!

After taking a break I started back up again, and finishedthe Book of Psalms and the Book of Daniel. Things have beenhard. My two little girls have many of the same problems asme. None of us sleep much, and of course this causes my wifeto lose much of her sleep. Working under these conditions isdifficult to say the least. However, by God’s grace He helpedme to finish.

I am the most character flawed person you could ever meet,I cannot deny it. I am far from perfect, and I have blown it somany times. It is hard to describe to you the struggles myfamily and I have faced because of our health and lack of sleepand energy. If you know anything about sleep deprivation then

you will understand how hard life is, it is like a nightmare thatnever ends; not only for me and my wife, but also our children.Aside from God, we are very much alone in all we go through.

No one understands. My own family members say: “It is all in your head”, “You are just lazy”. But God knows my struggles,and He knows the truth; it is Him that I need. He may seemlike a million miles away, but it is Him that I serve and He ismore than capable of turning things around. Indeed, He willcome to my rescue. And even if He just leaves me here to rot,He is all I have! Regardless, I know the truth: I have a Friendthat sticks closer than a brother! I have a Friend who is theGreat I AM! I have a Friend that raises the dead! I have a

Friend who is Love! I may be weak, but He is strong!

I say these things in the hope that maybe someone who isstruggling may be encouraged. There are many people who aresuffering and who feel all alone, like nobody cares—not evenGod. There are many people who cannot cope with their situa-tion, some are even angry at God, but believe me, He is all youhave! The only thing that matters in this life is a relationshipwith the Lord Jesus Christ! He is your only hope! So by His

grace, hold on to Him as tight as you can and treasure Him.Never let Him go, regardless of how things seem!



The Translation

You may be wondering how this translation came about.Well here is some insight into what I did.

I used the King James Bible for about a third of theGospels. And I used Green’s Hebrew, Greek, and English Inter-linear Bible for the rest of the New Testament. I wrote downthe English words that were under the original Greek. Thewords are not in order, so I tried to rearrange them. I usedwhatever I could get my hands on: lexicons, commentaries,concordances, bibles, bible dictionaries, and maps.

I started with the Epistles, which took me about six years tocomplete. I went through them word for word twice, looking upthe meaning of every single word in the original language.

Then I went through them a third time, looking up about half of the words. My plan for the Epistles was to make them easyto understand.

Next I worked on Acts and Revelation, which I started dur-ing the Epistles. I went through Acts and Revelation word forword in the original language once. But due to my health, theother two times through, I was unable to look up every word (itwas too much for my muscles to turn all those pages!). So Ionly looked up the words I felt most important. Acts andRevelation took me about two years to complete. My plan forActs was to work on the geography. And for Revelation to side

note what I had personally discovered about the end timesfrom studying the bible. I felt this was necessary, because toomany people do not seem to understand that the Lord’scoming is right at the door.

Then I started working on the Gospels. I was unable to gothrough the gospels word for word in the original language, soI only looked up the words I felt most important. By God’sgrace, and God’s grace alone, I finished the Gospels in six



months! I only went through them once. My goal for theGospels was to try and make each Gospel a little different.

I took a break for a while then started on the Book of Psalms, which took me 9 months to finish. I typed it out as Iwent and looked up the main words in the original for the firstround. The second time around I only made a quick passthrough. I did not know how I was going to format Psalms, or if I would even have enough pages to work with (I am onlylimited to so many pages). So in order to save space, I did notput the “O’s” in front of the words like the King James Bibledoes. (Later I went through Psalms and Daniel and put in the

missing “O’s”.) My goal for Psalms was just to get it done!

Next I worked on the Book of Daniel, which took me amonth and a half to finish. I did three rounds of Daniel, look-ing up all the main words in the original. Daniel 11 was thehardest part of the Bible that I have worked on so far! My goalfor Daniel was to do a good job on Daniel 11 and to do sidenotes.

I also went through the Gospels one more time very quickly.It took me one month’s time.

I still need to go through some things in the translation, so Iwill continue to slowly work on it. I do not think I will do anymore books of the Bible, because it is just too much for me todo.



Table of Contents

The New Testament

Matthew.......................................................................1Mark..........................................................................69Luke ........................................................................111

John ........................................................................183Acts .........................................................................235Romans ...................................................................302

1 Corinthians...........................................................3322 Corinthians...........................................................359Galatians .................................................................376Ephesians................................................................386Philippians...............................................................395Colossians ...............................................................4021 Thessalonians .......................................................4082 Thessalonians .......................................................414

1 Timothy ................................................................4182 Timothy ................................................................425 Titus ........................................................................430Philemon..................................................................433Hebrews...................................................................435

James ......................................................................4591 Peter .....................................................................4662 Peter .....................................................................4741 John .....................................................................4792 John .....................................................................4873 John .....................................................................488

Jude ........................................................................489Revelation ................................................................491Psalms .....................................................................531Daniel......................................................................661Ezekiel 38 & 39 ........................................................695End Time Scriptures.................................................700

Questions & Answers ...............................................713My Theory................................................................728How Can I Be Saved?................................................733





TheNew Testament



Matthew 1

1

Matthew

This is the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the sonof David, the son of Abraham:

2Abraham fathered Isaac,Isaac fathered Jacob,

Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers,3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar,

Perez fathered Hezron,Hezron fathered Aram,4Aram fathered Amminadab,Amminadab fathered Nahshon,Nahshon fathered Salmon,5Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab,Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth,Obed fathered Jesse,6and Jesse fathered King David.

King David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife,7Solomon fathered Rehoboam,Rehoboam fathered Abijah,Abijah fathered Asa,8Asa fathered Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah,9Uzziah fathered Jotham,

Jotham fathered Ahaz,Ahaz fathered Hezekiah,10Hezekiah fathered Manasseh,Manasseh fathered Amon,Amon fathered Josiah,11and Josiah fathered Jeconiah and his brothersat the time of the exile to Babylon.

12After the exile to Babylon:

Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel,Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel,13Zerubbabel fathered Abiud,

1



Matthew 1

2

Abiud fathered Eliakim,Eliakim fathered Azor,14

Azor fathered Zadok,Zadok fathered Achim,Achim fathered Eliud,15Eliud fathered Eleazar,Eleazar fathered Matthan,Matthan fathered Jacob,16and Jacob fathered Joseph, the husband of Mary,and Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called Christ.

17

In all, there were fourteen generations from Abraham toDavid, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and four-teen from the exile to Christ.

18 This is how Jesus Christ was born: His mother Mary wasengaged to Joseph, but before they were married she wasfound to be with Child through the Holy Spirit. 19Now Joseph,her husband-to-be, was a righteous man. Therefore, since hedid not want to disgrace her publicly, he planned to secretly

annul their engagement. 20

But as he was pondering this, anangel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as yourwife. For the Child she is carrying is from the Holy Spirit. 21Shewill give birth to a Son, and you will call His name JESUS,because He will save His people from their sins.”

22All this happened to fulfill what the Lord had said throughthe prophet:

23“Look! A virgin will be with Childand will give birth to a Son,and they will call His name Emmanuel,”(Isaiah 7:14)

which means, “God is with us.”

24When Joseph woke up from his sleep he did what the angelof the Lord had commanded him to do, and took her as hiswife. 25 Joseph, however, did not have sexual relations with heruntil after she had given birth to her firstborn Son. And Josephcalled His name JESUS.



Matthew 2

3

After Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea,in the days of King Herod, wise men arrived in Jerusalem

from the east. 2

They asked, “Where is He, the newborn King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come toworship Him.”

3When King Herod heard this he was troubled, and all Jeru-salem with him. 4So King Herod gathered all the chief priestsand the teachers of the law and asked them where the birth-place of the Christ would be. 5 They told him, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:

6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means leastamong the leaders of Judah,for out of you will come a Rulerwho will shepherd My people Israel.’”(Micah 5:2)

7So Herod secretly called the wise men and asked them

exactly when the star had appeared. 8

Then he sent them toBethlehem, saying, “Go and diligently search for the Child.And when you have found Him, report back to me, so that I toomay go and worship Him.”

9After listening to the king, the wise men departed. And thestar they had seen in the east went ahead of them until itcame and rested over the place where the Child was. 10Whenthey saw the star, they rejoiced greatly and were overwhelmed

with joy. 11

When they entered the house, they saw the Childwith His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12After this, the wise men werewarned in a dream not to return to Herod. So they went backto their own country by another route.

13After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Josephin a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother

and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is goingto search for the Child to kill Him.” 14So Joseph got up andtook the Child and His mother during the night and departed

2



Matthew 3

4

for Egypt, 15where he stayed until Herod’s death. This fulfilledwhat was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Out of Egypt I called My Son.”(Hosea 11:1)

16When Herod saw that he had been fooled by the wise men,he became enraged, and sent soldiers to kill all the male chil-dren in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old andunder, according to the time he had learned from the wisemen. 17 This fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet

Jeremiah when he said,18“A voice was heard in Ramah,

wailing, weeping, and great mourning,Rachel weeping for her children,unwilling to be comforted,because they are gone.”(Jeremiah 31:15)

19

After the death of Herod, an angel of the Lord appeared ina dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20saying, “Get up! Take the Childand His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who weretrying to kill the Child are dead.” 21So Joseph got up and tookthe Child and His mother and went to the land of Israel. 22Butwhen Joseph heard that Archelaus had succeeded his fatherHerod as king of Judea, he was afraid to go there. But afterbeing warned in a dream, he left for Galilee. 23 Therefore,

Joseph went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled

what was spoken by the prophets: “He will be called aNazarene.”

In those days John the Baptist came to the wilderness of Judea proclaiming, 2“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is

near!” 3 The prophet Isaiah spoke about John when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,make straight paths for Him!’”(Isaiah 40:3)

3



Matthew 4

5

4Now John was clothed in camel’s hair with a leather beltaround his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.5

Those from Jerusalem, all Judea, and throughout the JordanValley went out to see him. 6 They confessed their sins, andwere baptized by John in the Jordan River.

7But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadduceescoming to the place where he was baptizing, he said to them,“You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from thecoming wrath? 8Produce fruit that shows you have trulyrepented. 9Do not think that you can say to yourselves, ‘We

have Abraham as our father!’ For I tell you that from thesestones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10Even now theaxe is ready to strike the root of the trees. Any tree that doesnot produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into thefire. 11 Truly, I baptize you with water for repentance. But afterme will come One who is far more superior than I, whosesandals I am not even worthy to carry. He will baptize you withthe Holy Spirit and fire. 12His winnowing fork is in His hand,and He will clear His threshing floor. He will gather His wheat

into the barn, but He will burn the chaff with unquenchablefire.”

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River to bebaptized by John. 14But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I needto be baptized by You, and You come to me?”

15But Jesus answered and said to him, “It must be done,because we must fulfill all righteousness.” So John agreed.

16As soon as Jesus was baptized, He came up out of the

water, the heavens opened, and John saw the Spirit of Goddescending upon Him like a dove. 17 Then a voice from heavensaid, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to betempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty

nights, He was very hungry. 3 Then the tempter approachedHim and said, “If You are the Son of God, command these

stones to become bread.”4But Jesus answered and said, “It is written,

4



Matthew 4

6

‘Man does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes

from the mouth of God.’”(Deuteronomy 8:3)

5After this, the devil took Jesus to the Holy City and set Himon the pinnacle of the temple. 6He said to Jesus, “If You arethe Son of God, jump off! For it is written,

‘He has put His angels in charge of you,and they will lift you up with their hands,

so that you will not dash your footagainst a stone.’”(Psalm 91:11-12)

7 Jesus said to him, “It is also written,

‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”(Deuteronomy 6:16)

8

Next the devil took Him to a very high mountain and show-ed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And thedevil said to Him, “I will give You all of this, if You will falldown and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, satan! For it is written,

‘You must worship the Lord your Godand serve Him only.’”(Deuteronomy 6:13)

11 Then the devil left Him, and angels came and took care of Him.

12When Jesus heard that John had been thrown into prison,He went back to Galilee. 13 Then Jesus left the town of Nazarethand went to live in the town of Capernaum, which is located bythe Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.14 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah when he

said:15“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

toward the sea,



Matthew 5

7

in the region of the Jordan River,in Galilee of the Gentiles— 16

the people living in darknesshave seen a great light;for those living in the land of theshadow of death,a light has dawned.”(Isaiah 9:1-2)

17From then on, Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the king-dom of heaven is near!”

18As Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee,He saw two brothers, Simon (also called Peter) and his brotherAndrew. They were casting a net into the sea, because theywere fishermen. 19 Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I willmake you fishers of men.” 20So they immediately abandonedtheir nets and followed Him.

21Going a little further, He saw two other brothers, James

and John, the sons of Zebedee, mending nets in a boat withtheir father Zebedee. When Jesus called them, 22they immedi-ately left the boat and their father and followed Him.

23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in the syna-gogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healingevery disease and every sickness among the people. 24His famespread throughout all Syria, and the people brought to Him allwho were sick—those suffering with various diseases and tor-

ments, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the para-lyzed—and He healed them. 25Large crowds followed Him fromGalilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from the eastside of the Jordan River.

When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the hillsideand sat down. His disciples came to Him, 2and He opened

His mouth and taught them, saying:

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

5



Matthew 5

8

4“Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.

5“Blessed are the meek,for they will inherit the earth.

6“Blessed are those who hungerand thirst for righteousness,for they will be filled.

7“Blessed are the merciful,

for they will receive mercy.8“Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9“Blessed are the peacemakers,for they will be called sons of God.

10“Blessed are those who are persecuted

because of righteousness,for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

11“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you,and falsely say all kinds of evil things against you because of Me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great inheaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets whowere before you.

13

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavour,how can it be made salty again? It is utterly useless, and isonly fit to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14“You are the light of the world. A city on a hilltop cannotbe hidden. 15No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket.Instead they put it on a lamp stand, so that its light can shineon everyone in the house. 16In the same way let your lightshine before men, so that they may see your good works and

praise your Father who is in heaven.



Matthew 5

9

17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or theProphets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.18

For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, notthe smallest letter or stroke of the letter will pass away fromthe Law until everything is accomplished. 19So whoever setsaside the smallest commandments as unimportant, and teach-es others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps all the commandments, and teach-es others to do the same, will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For this is what I tell you: unless your righteousnessexceeds that of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, you

will not enter the kingdom of heaven.21“You have heard that it was said to the people of old, ‘You

must not commit murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder willbe subject to the court.’ 1 22But this is what I tell you: everyman who is angry with his brother without a cause will be sub-

ject to the court. Whoever insults his brother will be subject tothe Supreme Court—the Sanhedrin. And whoever curses hisbrother will be subject to hellfire.

23“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there re-member that your brother has something against you, 24leave

your gift before the altar; first go and be reconciled to yourbrother, and then come back and offer your gift.

25“Make peace quickly with your opponent while you are on your way to court, or else your opponent will hand you over tothe judge. Then the judge will hand you over to the officer, and

you will be thrown into prison. 26

Truly I say to you, you willnot get out until you have paid back every last penny.

27“You have heard that it was said to the people of old, ‘Youmust not commit adultery.’ 2 28But this is what I tell you: everyman who looks at a woman lustfully has already committedadultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you tosin, rip it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose oneof your body parts than for your whole body to be thrown intohell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and

1 Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17, 16:182 Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18



Matthew 5

10

throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your body partsthan for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

31“It has also been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife mustgive her a certificate of divorce.’ 3 32But this is what I tell you:whoever divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful,causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a di-vorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people of old, ‘You must not break your oath,’ and ‘You must keep theoaths you have made to the Lord.’ 4 34But this is what I tell you:do not swear an oath at all—not by heaven, because it is God’sthrone; 35or by the earth, because it is His footstool; or by

Jerusalem, because it is the city of the Great King. 36And donot swear an oath by your head, because you cannot make asingle hair black or white. 37A simple ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ is all youshould say, anything more than this comes from the evil one.

38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and atooth for a tooth.’ 5 39But this is what I tell you: do not resist anevil person. Whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn theother to him as well. 40If someone wants to sue you for yourshirt, give him your coat as well. 41If a soldier forces you tocarry his pack for a mile, carry it for two. 42Give to the personwho asks you, and do not turn away from the person whowants to borrow from you.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You must love yourneighbour,’ 6 and hate your enemy. 44But this is what I tell you:love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to thosewho hate you, and pray for those who slander and persecute

you, 45so that you may be sons of your heavenly Father. ForHe makes His sun to rise on everyone, whether good or evil,and sends rain on everyone, whether just or unjust. 46If youlove only those who love you, what reward will you have? Donot even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only

3

Deuteronomy 24:14 Leviticus 19:12; Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21-235 Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:216 Leviticus 19:18



Matthew 6

11

your brothers, what is remarkable about that? Do not even thetax collectors do the same? 48 Therefore be perfect, just as yourheavenly Father is perfect.

“Be careful not to do your acts of charity in front of men,so that you may be seen by them. If you do, you will have

no reward from your Father in heaven. 2When you do your actsof charity, do not toot your own horn like the hypocrites do inthe synagogues and on the streets so that they may be praisedby men. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.3But when you do your acts of charity, do not let your lefthand know what your right hand is doing. 4 Then your acts of charity will be done in secret, and your Father who sees insecret will reward you openly.

5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. Forthey love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on thestreet corners, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to

you, they have received their reward. 6But when you pray, goto your room and shut the door. Then pray to your Father insecret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward youopenly.

7“And when you pray, do not use useless repetitions like theGentiles, who think they will be heard if they keep repeatingthemselves. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what

you need before you ask Him.

9“This, however, is how you should pray:

Our Father who is in heaven,may Your name be honoured always.

10May Your kingdom come,may Your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread,12and forgive us our debts,as we have forgiven our debtors.

13Do not let us fall into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.

6





Matthew 7

13

which is alive today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, howmuch more will He clothe you, you of little faith?

31“So do not worry and say, ‘What are we going to eat?’ or‘What are we going to drink?’ or ‘What are we going to wear?’ 32 The Gentiles strive for all these things, but your heavenlyFather knows that you need them all. 33But seek first thekingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these thingswill be added to you. 34So do not worry about tomorrow, for to-morrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trou-ble of its own.

“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. 2For in thesame way you judge others, you will be judged. Whatever

measure you deal out, the same will be dealt out to you. 3Whydo you look at the sliver in your brother’s eye, but do notnotice the beam in your own eye? 4How can you say to yourbrother, ‘Let me take the sliver out of your eye,’ when there is abeam in your own eye? 5You hypocrite! First take the beam out

of your own eye, then you will be able to see clearly to take thesliver out of your brother’s eye.

6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or cast your pearls beforeswine. Otherwise, the swine will trample them underfoot, andthe dogs will turn and attack you.

7“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find.knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8Whoever asks,

receives. Whoever seeks, finds. whoever knocks, the door willbe opened. 9What man among you, if his son asks for bread,will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him asnake? 11So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to

your children, how much more will your heavenly Father givegood gifts to those who ask Him!

12“Always treat others as you would like them to treat you,for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate andbroad is the road that leads to destruction, and many are those

7



Matthew 8

14

who enter through it. 14But narrow is the gate and difficult isthe road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

15“Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’sclothing, for inwardly they are vicious wolfs. 16You will knowthem by their fruit. Can people pick grapes from thorn bushes,or figs from thistles? 17In the same way, every good tree pro-duces good fruit, and every bad tree produces bad fruit. 18Agood tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannotproduce good fruit. 19Every tree that does not produce goodfruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore, you will

know them by their fruit.21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into

the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do the will of MyFather in heaven. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord,Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demonsin Your name, and perform many miracles in Your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you! Depart fromMe, you workers of lawlessness!’

24“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine anddoes them will be like a wise man who built his house on therock. 25 The rain poured down, the floodwaters rose, and thewinds blew and beat against the house, but it did not falldown, because its foundation was on the rock. 26But everyonewho hears these words of Mine and does not do them will belike a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rainpoured down, the floodwaters rose, and the winds blew and

beat against the house, and it fell down with a great crash.”28When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds mar-

velled at His teaching. 29For unlike the teachers of the law, Hetaught with authority.

When He came down from the hillside, large crowds fol-lowed Him. 2Suddenly a leper came and fell down at His

feet, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”3 Then Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him,saying, “I am willing, be cleansed!” And instantly he wascleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “Do not tell

8



Matthew 8

15

anyone. But go and show yourself to the priest, and offer thesacrifice that Moses prescribed as a testimony to them.”

5When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer cameand begged Him, 6saying, “Lord, my slave is lying at home par-alyzed. He is in extreme pain.”

7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him.”8 The officer answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy to

have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and myslave will be healed. 9For I am a man under the authority of others, with soldiers under me. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he

goes. I tell another soldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. And I say tomy slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”10When Jesus heard this He marvelled, and said to those

following Him, “Truly I say to you, I have not found anyone inIsrael with such great faith! 11I tell you this: many Gentiles willcome from the east and the west and will sit down withAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12Butmany of the Jews, the sons of the kingdom, will be thrown intothe darkness outside, where there will be weeping and gnash-

ing of teeth.”13 Then Jesus said to the officer, “Go! As you have believed,it will be done for you.” And his slave was instantly healed.

14When Jesus entered Peter’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 Jesus touched her hand, andthe fever left her. Then she got up and served them.

16 That evening they brought to Him many who were demon-

possessed. He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed allwho were sick. 17 This happened to fulfill what was spoken bythe prophet Isaiah when he said,

“He Himself took our weaknesses,and bore our diseases.”(Isaiah 53:4)

18When Jesus saw the large crowds around Him, He gaveorders to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

19 Just then, one of the teachers of the law came up to Himand said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”



Matthew 9

16

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

21

Then another disciple said to Him, “Lord, first let me goand bury my father.”22But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury

their own dead.”7

23 Then Jesus and His disciples got into the boat and left.24A terrible storm suddenly broke out on the sea, and the boatwas swamped by waves. But Jesus was sleeping. 25So His dis-ciples went and woke Him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are

going to die!”26He replied, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the wind and the sea, and every-thing became calm.

27 The men marvelled and said, “What kind of Man is this?Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

28When He made it to the other side, to the region of theGerasenes, two demon-possessed men came out to meet Him

from the tombs. They were so violent that nobody could passby that way. 29 They cried out, saying, “What do You want withus, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us be-fore the day of judgment?”

30Now a large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance. 31Sothe demons begged Him, “If You cast us out, allow us to gointo the herd of pigs.”

32 Jesus said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went intothe herd of pigs. Suddenly, the entire herd of pigs rushed down

the steep bank into the sea and died in the water. 33

Theherdsmen ran into the city and reported everything, especiallywhat had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then theentire city went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him,they begged Him to leave their region.

Jesus got into the boat, crossed over, and came to His owntown. 2 There some people brought to Him a paralyzed man

7 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the spirituallydead bury their own dead.”

9



Matthew 9

17

who was lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, He saidto the paralyzed man, “Cheer up, son, your sins are forgiven.”

3

On hearing this, some of the teachers of the law said with-in themselves, “This Man is blaspheming.”4But Jesus knew their thoughts and said, “Why do you have

such evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Tell Me, is it easier to say,‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6But tolet you know that the Son of Man has authority on earth toforgive sins,” He said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up

your mat, and go home.” 7And the man got up and went home.8When the crowds saw this they marvelled, and they glorified

God for giving such authority to men.9As Jesus continued on from there, He saw a man named

Matthew sitting at the tax booth. He said to him, “Follow Me!”And Matthew got up and followed Him.

10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, manytax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him andHis disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His

disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with tax collectors andsinners?”12When Jesus heard them, He said, “Those who are healthy

do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. 13But goand learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ 8 ForI did not come to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”

14 Then John’s disciples came to Him and asked, “Why dowe and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast?”

15 Jesus responded, “Can the friends of the bridegroommourn while he is with them? But the time will come when thebridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.16Nobody patches an old garment with a piece of unshrunkcloth. Because when it shrinks, the patch will rip away fromthe garment and cause an even bigger tear. 17Nobody puts newwine into old wineskins. If they did, the wine would swell andburst the wineskins. Then the wine would pour out, and thewineskins would be ruined. Instead, they put new wine intonew wineskins, and both are preserved.”

8 Hosea 6:6



Matthew 9

18

18As He was saying these things to them, a synagogueleader came and fell down at His feet, saying, “My daughter

has just died! Come and lay Your hand on her, and she willlive!” 19So Jesus and His disciples got up and followed him.

20On His way, a woman who had suffered from internalbleeding for twelve years came up behind Him and touched thehem of His garment. 21For she said within herself, “If only I cantouch His garment, I will be healed.”

22When Jesus turned around and saw her, He said, “Cheerup, daughter! Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was

healed that very instant.23When Jesus arrived at the synagogue leader’s house, and

saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, 24He said to them,“Everybody out! The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping.” Butthey mocked Him with laughter. 25After the crowd had been re-moved, He went inside and took her by the hand, and the girlgot up. 26And the fame of this spread throughout that region.

27

After Jesus left there, two blind men followed Him, cryingout, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”28When He entered the house, the blind men came to Him,

and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to dothis?”

They replied, “Yes, Lord!”29 Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your

faith, let it be done for you.” 30And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus gave them strict orders, saying, “See to it that no

one finds out about this.” 31

But they went out and spread Hisfame throughout that region.

32As they were leaving, the people brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was mute. 33And when the demon wascast out, the man who was mute began to speak. Then thecrowd marvelled and said, “Never has this been seen in Israel!”

34But the Pharisees said, “Through the prince of demons Hecasts out demons.”



Matthew 10

19

35 Jesus went around teaching in the synagogues of all thecities and towns, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom

and healing every disease and sickness among the people.36When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them,because they were weary and scattered like sheep without ashepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “Truly the harvest isplentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, petition the Lordof the harvest to send out workers to gather in His harvest.”

Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them

authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal everykind of disease and sickness. 2Here are the names of thetwelve apostles:

Simon (who is called Peter),Andrew (the brother of Peter),

James (the son of Zebedee), John (the brother of James),3Philip,

Bartholomew (also called Nathanael), Thomas (also called Didymus—“the twin”),Matthew 9 (also called Levi, the tax collector),

James (the son of Alphaeus), Judas Lebbaeus (also called Thaddaeus),4Simon (the Zealot),

Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Him).

5 Jesus sent these twelve off with the following instructions:

“Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any Samaritan town.6But instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7Andas you go, proclaim: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ 8Heal thesick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons.Freely you have received, freely give. 9Do not take any gold,silver, or copper in your belts, 10or a bag for the journey, orextra clothes, sandals, or a walking stick, because a worker isworthy of support.

11

“Whenever you enter a city or town, find some worthy per-son there and stay in his home until you leave. 12When you

9 This is the same Matthew who wrote the Gospel of Matthew.

10



Matthew 10

20

enter his home, say, ‘Peace be with you.’ 13If the home is wor-thy, let your greeting of peace rest upon it. But if it is not wor-

thy, let your greeting of peace return to you. 14

And if that homeor city does not welcome you or listen to your words, thenleave there and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to

you, it will be better on the day of judgment for Sodom andGomorrah than for that city.

16“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be aswise as serpents and as innocent as doves. 17Beware of men,for they will hand you over to the local councils and will whip

you in their synagogues. 18

And you will be brought before gov-ernors and kings for My sake, to testify to them and to theGentiles. 19But when you are arrested, do not worry aboutwhat to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given thewords to say— 20they will not be your own words, for it will bethe Spirit of your Father who is speaking through you.

21“Brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father hischild. Children will turn against their parents and will have

them put to death. 22

And everyone will hate you on account of My name. But whoever endures to the end will be saved.23When they persecute you in one city, flee to another. Fortruly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

24“A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above hismaster. 25A disciple should be satisfied to become like histeacher, and a slave should be satisfied to become like hismaster. If they call the master of the house Beelzebul,10 howmuch more the members of his household! 26But do not beafraid of them, for all that is hidden will be revealed, and allthat is secret will be made known. 27What I tell you in thedark, speak in the daylight, and what you hear whispered in

your ear, proclaim from the rooftops.

10 Beelzebub (the god of files) was the god of the Ekronites (2

Kings 1:2). The Jews called it Beelzebul (the god of dung). Theyconsidered Beelzebub to be the worst and foulest of the de-mons, so they called satan Beelzebul (meaning, “prince of thedemons”).



Matthew 10

21

28“Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body, but can-not kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both

soul and body in hell. 29

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Fatherknowing it. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all num-bered. 31So do not be afraid, for you are worth far more thanmany sparrows.

32“Whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confessbefore My Father in heaven. 33But whoever denies Me beforemen, him will I also deny before My Father in heaven.

34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth.I have not come to bring peace, but a sword! 35For I have cometo divide:

‘A man against his father,a daughter against her mother,and a daughter-in-law againsther mother-in-law.

36

A man’s enemies will bethe members of his own household.’ (Micah 7:6)

37Whoever loves his father or mother more than Me is not wor-thy of Me, and whoever loves his son or daughter more thanMe is not worthy of Me. 38Whoever does not take up his crossand follow Me is not worthy of Me. 39Whoever finds his life willlose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

40“Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receivesMe receives the One who sent Me. 41Whoever receives a proph-et because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, andwhoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteousman will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42And whoevergives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drinkbecause they are My disciples, truly I say to you, he will neverever lose his reward.”



Matthew 11

22

When Jesus had finished giving instructions to Histwelve disciples, He left there to teach and preach in

the towns of Galilee.

2Meanwhile John, who was now in prison, heard about theworks of Christ, and sent two of his disciples 3to ask Him, “AreYou the One who is coming, or should we expect someone else?”

4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers arecleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor hearthe good news. 6Blessed is the man who is not offended byMe.”

7As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak tothe crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wil-derness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8No? Then whatdid you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, thosewho wear fine clothes live in palaces. 9Well, then, what did yougo out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than aprophet! 10He is the one about whom it is written:

‘Look! I will send My messenger ahead of You,who will prepare Your way before You.’ (Malachi 3:1)

11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has notarisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet he who isleast in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he! 12From thedays of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven hasbeen forcefully advancing, and the forceful grab hold of it.13For all the Prophets and the Law foretold of these things upuntil the time of John.11 14And if you are willing to accept it, heis Elijah, whose coming was predicted. 15Whoever has ears tohear, let him hear!

16“To what can I compare this generation? It is like childrensitting in the marketplace, who call out to their playmates,

11 Luke 16:16

11



Matthew 12

23

17‘We played wedding music for you,but you did not dance!

We sang funeral songs for you,but you did not mourn!’

18Because John did not go around eating and drinking, theysaid, ‘He has a demon.’ 19And because the Son of Man goesaround eating and drinking, they say, ‘Look! He eats anddrinks too much, and He is a friend of tax collectors andsinners.’ Yet wisdom is proved right by its actions.”

20

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where He hadperformed most of His miracles, because they had not re-pented. 21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If themiracles that were performed in you had been performed inthe cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented in sack-cloth and ashes long ago! 22But I say to you, it will be better onthe day of judgment for the cities of Tyre and Sidon than for

you! 23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to hell! If the miracles that were

performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would haveremained to this today. 24But I say to you, it will be better onthe day of judgment for Sodom than for you!”

25At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things fromthe wise and prudent, and have revealed them to infants.26Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.

27

“All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father.Nobody knows the Son except the Father, and nobody knowsthe Father except the Son—and anyone the Son wants toreveal Him to.

28“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, andI will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn fromMe, for I am gentle and humble-hearted, and you will find restfor your souls. 30For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”

Around that time, one Sabbath day, Jesus was walkingthrough the grain fields. His disciples became hungry,12



Matthew 12

24

and began picking heads of grain to eat. 2But when thePharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, “Look! Your disciples

are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath.”3 Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David didwhen he and his men were hungry? 4How David went into thehouse of God and took the consecrated bread, which was notlawful for him or his men to eat, but only for the priests to eat?5Or have you not read in the Law that the priests break theSabbath by working in the temple on the Sabbath, yet they areinnocent? 6But I say to you, someone greater than the templeis here! 7But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mer-

cy, not sacrifice,’ 12

you would not have condemned the inno-cent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

9Leaving that place, Jesus went into their synagogue. 10Aman with a paralyzed hand was there. Since they wanted tobring charges against Jesus, they asked Him, “Is it lawful toheal on the Sabbath?”

11 Jesus said to them, “Which one of you, if your sheep fallsinto a pit on the Sabbath will not grab hold of it and pull it

out? 12

How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”13 Then Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So

the man stretched out his hand, and it was completelyhealed—just as good as his other hand. 14 Then the Phariseesleft and started making plans to kill Jesus.

15Aware of this, Jesus left that place. Large crowds followedHim, and He healed them all, 16giving them strict orders not to

tell anyone who He was. 17

This happened to fulfill what wasspoken through the prophet Isaiah:

18“Look! Here is My Servantwhom I have chosen,My Beloved in whom My heart delights.

I will put My Spirit upon Him,and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.

19He will not argue or shout,

or raise His voice to be heard in the streets.

12 Hosea 6:6



Matthew 12

25

20A broken reed He will not snap off,and a smouldering wick He will not put out,

until He leads justice to victory.21And in His name the Gentiles will hope.”(Isaiah 42:1-4)

22 Then they brought to Him a demon-possessed man whowas blind and mute. And Jesus healed him, so that he couldboth talk and see. 23 The crowds marvelled at this, and said,“Could this be the Son of David?”

24When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This Man casts

out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons!”25But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to

them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be destroyed,and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.26If satan casts out satan, he is divided against himself. And if that is so, then how will his kingdom stand? 27And if I cast outdemons by Beelzebul, by whom do your disciples cast themout? Indeed, let them be your judges. 28But if I cast out de-

mons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has cometo you.

29“Or how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and stealhis belongings, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then hecan rob his house.

30“Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever doesnot gather with Me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you this: men

will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemyagainst the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Whoever speaks aword against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoeverspeaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven—not in thisage, or in the age to come.

33“Now, either the tree is good and its fruit is good, or thetree is bad and its fruit is bad. For a tree is known by its fruit.34You offspring of vipers! How can you say anything good when

you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouthspeaks. 35A good man out of the good treasure of his heartbrings out good things. But an evil man out of the evil treasureof his heart brings out evil things. 36I say to you, men will have



Matthew 13

26

to give an account on the day of judgment for every wicked anduseless word they have spoken. 37By your words you will be

justified, or by your words you will be condemned.”38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to

Him, “Teacher, we want You to show us a miraculous sign.”39 Jesus answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous

generation looks for a sign, but the only sign you will be givenis the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For just as Jonah was inthe belly of a huge fish for three days and three nights, so willthe Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and

three nights. 41

The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judg-ment with this generation and will condemn it, because theyrepented at the preaching of Jonah. But look, someone greaterthan Jonah is here! 42 The Queen of Sheba will rise at the judg-ment with this generation and will condemn it, because shecame from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom.But look, someone greater than Solomon is here!

43“When an unclean spirit leaves a man, it wanders through

dry places seeking rest, but does not find any. 44

Then it says, ‘Iwill return to the house I left.’ And when it arrives it finds thehouse empty, swept, and decorated. 45 Then it goes and takesalong with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, andthey go in and make their home there. Therefore the man isworse off in the end than in the beginning. And that is whatwill happen with this evil generation.”

46While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, His mother and

brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. 47

Someonetold Him, “Look! Your mother and brothers are standing out-side, and they want to speak to You.”

48 Jesus said to the man, “Who is My mother, and who areMy brothers?” 49 Then He pointed to His disciples and said,“Look! My mother and My brothers. 50Whoever does the will of My heavenly Father is My brother and sister and mother.”

That same day Jesus left the house and sat down bythe sea. 2Such large crowds gathered around Him thatHe got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on13



Matthew 13

27

the shore. 3Using parables, He began telling them manythings: “A sower went out to sow his seed. 4As he was sowing,

some of the seeds fell on the pathway, and the birds came andate them up. 5Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground, wherethere was not much soil. They sprouted quickly because thesoil was shallow. 6But when the sun was hot, the young plantswere scorched. They withered up because their roots were notdeep enough. 7Some of the seeds fell among the thorns, andthe thorns grew up and choked the plants. 8But some of theseeds fell on good soil, and produced a crop of a hundred,sixty, or thirtyfold. 9Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”

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

11He answered and said to them, “The knowledge of the se-crets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but notto them. 12For whoever has, will be given more—indeed, he willhave an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what hehas will be taken away from him. 13 That is why I speak to themin parables, because they look but do not see, and they hear

with their ears but do not understand. 14

And in them theprophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘You will hear with your earsbut never understand,

you will look with your eyesbut never see.

15For the heart of this peoplehas become calloused.

They hear with dull ears,and have closed their eyes.For this reason they cannot see

with their eyes,or hear with their ears,or understand with their hearts.

If they did, they would turn to Me,and I would heal them.’ (Isaiah 6:9-10)

16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your earsbecause they hear. 17For truly I say to you, many prophets and



Matthew 13

28

righteous men longed to see the things you see but did not seethem, and to hear the things you hear but did not hear them.

18“Now listen to the parable of the sower: 19when someonehears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, theevil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.

This is the seed that was sown on the pathway. 20 The seed thatwas sown on rocky ground is the man who hears the word andimmediately receives it with joy, 21but since he is not deeplyrooted, he only lasts for a short time. When tribulation or per-secution comes on account of the word, he immediately fallsaway. 22 The seed that was sown among the thorns is the manwho hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceit-fulness of riches choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the seedthat was sown on good ground is the man who hears the word,understands it, and produces a crop that yields a hundred,sixty, or thirtyfold.”

24 Jesus told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25Butwhen everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed falsewheat among the wheat and went away.13 26But when thewheat sprouted and the heads of grain grew, the false wheatbecame apparent. 27So the man’s slaves came to him and said,‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where didthis false wheat come from?’

28 The man answered, ‘An enemy has done this!’ Then his slaves asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull

it out?’ 29 The man said, ‘No! If you pull out the false wheat, you

might uproot the wheat as well. 30Let both grow together untilthe harvest. Then at harvest time I will say to the reapers,“First gather the false wheat and tie it into bundles for burn-ing, and then gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

13 “But when everyone was sleeping, his enemy came andsowed darnel among the wheat and went away.” Bearded

darnel (Lolium temulentum) is also called “false wheat.” Darnelis indistinguishable from wheat in its early stages of growth.Its grains are black, and due to fungus it has a reputation of being poisonous.



Matthew 13

29

31 Jesus told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in

his field. 32

It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it is fullygrown it is larger than any of the herbs. It becomes a tree, andthe birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”14

33 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heavenis like yeast, which a woman took and mixed into a largeamount of flour until it worked its way through the wholebatch of dough.”

34

Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables. Infact, He said nothing to them without using parables. 35 Thishappened to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open My mouth in parables,I will utter things that have been hiddenfrom the foundation of the world.”(Psalm 78:2)

36

After sending away the crowds, Jesus went into thehouse. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us theparable of the false wheat in the field.”

37 Jesus answered, “The One who sows the good seed is theSon of Man. 38 The field is the world. The good seed representsthe sons of the kingdom, and the false wheat represents thesons of the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil.

The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are theangels. 40 Just as the false wheat is gathered up and burned

with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41

The Son of Manwill send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdomall those who practice lawlessness and cause others to stum-ble, 42and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, wherethere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the right-eous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field,

14 In the days of Jesus, the mustard seed was the smallestseed used by farmers and gardeners in the Holy Land. Thesemustard plants could grow up to ten feet tall!



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which a man found and hid again, and in great joy the manwent and sold all that he had and bought that field.

45“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for finepearls, 46who upon finding a very precious pearl went and soldall that he had and bought it.

47“The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was letdown into the sea, which caught all kinds of different fish.48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it to shore. Then theysat down and sorted the fish; the good went into baskets, but

the bad were thrown away. 49

The same thing will happen atthe end of the age. The angels will go out and separate thewicked from the righteous. 50And the wicked will be throwninto the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnash-ing of teeth.”

51 Jesus asked His disciples, “Do you understand all this?” They answered, “Yes, Lord.”52 Then He said to them, “Every teacher who is well versed in

the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings outtreasures from his storeroom, both new and old.”

53When Jesus had finished these parables, He departedfrom there. 54He went to the town of Nazareth where He hadgrown up, and taught in their synagogue. The people theremarvelled and said, “Where did He get this wisdom, and thesemiraculous powers? 55Is He not the carpenter’s son? Is not Hismother named Mary? Are not James, Joses, Simon, and Judas

His brothers? 56

And His sisters, are they not all with us? Howcan He do all these things?” 57And they took offense at Him.But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honoured everywhere,

but in his own town and among his own family.” 58And He didnot do many miracles there because of their unbelief.

At that time Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heardof Jesus’ fame, 2and said to his officials, “This is John

the Baptist! He has risen from the dead! That is why these mi-raculous powers are at work in Him.” 3For Herod had arrested

John, bound him, and put him in prison because of Herodias,the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. 4For John had said to Herod,

14



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“It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 Therefore Herod wantedto kill John, but was afraid of the Jewish people, because theyconsidered John to be a prophet.

6On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced forthem and pleased Herod so much, 7that he promised with anoath to give her anything she wanted. 8 Then she, beingprompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter thehead of John the Baptist.” 9 This grieved the king. But becauseof his oath and his guests, he ordered it to be done. 10So hehad John beheaded in prison. 11 John’s head was brought in ona platter and given to the girl, who in turn took it to hermother. 12 Then John’s disciples came and took his body andburied it, and went and told Jesus.

13Upon hearing this, Jesus withdrew in a boat to a solitaryplace where He could be alone. When the crowds heard this,they followed Him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus gotout of the boat and saw the large crowds, He had compassionon them and healed their sick.

15In the evening His disciples came to Him and said, “This isa solitary place, and it is getting late. Dismiss the crowds, sothey can go to the towns and buy food for themselves.”

16 Jesus replied, “There is no need to send them away. Yougive them something to eat.”

17 They said to Him, “We have nothing here except five loavesand two fish.”

18He said, “Bring them here to Me.” 19 Then He commandedthe crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loavesand the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks. ThenHe broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and thedisciples handed them out to the crowds. 20 The people all ateand were satisfied. And the disciples picked up the leftoverpieces, filling up twelve baskets. 21About five thousand menate, not counting women and children.

22Immediately after this, Jesus made His disciples get intothe boat to cross over to the other side ahead of Him. He,however, stayed behind to dismiss the crowds. 23After dismiss-ing the crowds, He went up on the hillside by Himself to pray.When evening came, He was there alone. 24But the boat was



Matthew 15

32

now in the middle of the sea, being tossed around by the waves,for the wind was against them. 25And in the fourth watch of

the night Jesus came to them walking on the sea.15 26

Whenthe disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they panicked, andcried out in fear, “It is a ghost!”

27But immediately Jesus said, “Take courage, it is I! Do notbe afraid!”

28Peter said in reply, “Lord, if it is You, command me tocome to You on the water.”

29 Jesus said, “Come!” Then Peter got out of the boat, and began walking on the

water towards Jesus. 30But when he saw how strong the windwas, he became frightened and began to sink. So he cried out,“Lord, save me!”

31Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed him,saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

32And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped blow-ing. 33 Then the men in the boat fell down and worshiped Him,saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

34Crossing over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35When the in-habitants of that place recognized Him, they sent word through-out that entire region, and they brought to Him all who weresick. 36And they begged Him to let them just touch the hem of His garment. And all who touched it were completely healed.

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem, asking, 2“Why do Your disciples

break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash theirhands before they eat their food!”

3But Jesus answered and said to them, “Why do you breakthe commandment of God because of your tradition? 4For Godcommanded, ‘Honour your father and your mother,’ 16 and‘Whoever blatantly disrespects his father or mother must beput to death.’ 17 5But you teach that it is okay for a man to sayto his father or mother in need, ‘Whatever support you might

15 The fourth watch of the night was from 3:00–6:00 A.M.16 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:1617 Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9

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Matthew 15

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have received from me has been devoted to God.’ 6And so youteach them not to honour their father or their mother. There-

fore you have nullified the commandment of God on account of your tradition. 7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he proph-esied about you:

8‘These people draw near to Mewith their mouth,and honour Me with their lips,but their hearts are far from Me.

9 They worship Me in vain,because the doctrines they teachare man-made rules.’”(Isaiah 29:13)

10 Then Jesus called the crowd, and said to them, “Listen andunderstand. 11It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles aman, but what comes out of the mouth—that is what defiles aman.”

12

Then His disciples came to Him and said, “Are You awarethat the Pharisees were offended when they heard this state-ment?”

13But Jesus answered and said, “Every plant that My heav-enly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Leave themalone. They are blind guides leading the blind. If the blind leadthe blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

15Peter said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”16

Jesus said, “Do you not understand yet? 17

Do you notknow that everything that goes into the mouth enters thestomach and then is eliminated? 18But what comes out of themouth comes from the heart, and that is what defiles a man.19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery,fornication, theft, false testimony, and slander. 20 These are thethings that defile a man. But eating with unwashed handsdoes not defile a man.”

21

Jesus moved on from there, and headed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22A Canaanite woman from there came andcried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of



Matthew 15

34

David! My daughter is demon-possessed, and she suffers se-verely!” 23But Jesus ignored her.

Then His disciples came to Him and said, “Tell her to goaway—she keeps crying out behind us.”24But Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to the lost

sheep of the house of Israel.”25But she came and fell down at His feet, begging, “Lord,

help me!”26He answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread

and throw it to the dogs.”27But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the

crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “Dear woman, your

faith is great! Your request is granted.” And instantly herdaughter was healed.

29Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on the hillside and sat down. 30Large crowdscame to Him, bringing the paralyzed, the blind, the mute, andthose with missing limbs and other physical defects. They laidthem at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them. 31 The crowds mar-velled when they saw the paralyzed walking, the blind seeing,the mute speaking, and those with missing limbs made whole.And they glorified the God of Israel.

32 Jesus summoned His disciples and said, “I have compas-sion for the crowd, because they have been with Me for threedays now and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send themaway hungry, or they may faint on the way.”

33His disciples said to Him, “Where, in a remote place likethis, could we get enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”

34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They answered, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 Then He

commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36He tookthe seven loaves and the fish, and gave thanks. Then He brokethe loaves and gave them to His disciples, and the discipleshanded them out to the crowds. 37 The people all ate and weresatisfied. And the disciples picked up the left over pieces,

filling up seven baskets. 38

About four thousand men ate, notcounting women and children. 39After sending the crowds away,He got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan.



Matthew 16

35

Intending to trap Him, the Pharisees and Sadduceescame to Jesus and asked Him to show them a sign

from heaven. 2

But He answered and said to them, “At sunset you say, ‘The weather will be good tomorrow, because the skyis bright red.’ 3At sunrise you say, ‘The weather will be stormytoday, because the sky is overcast and red.’ You Hypocrites!You know how to read the face of the sky, but you cannot readthe signs of the times! 4An evil and adulterous generation looksfor a sign, but the only sign you will be given is the sign of theprophet Jonah.” With that, He left them and went away.

5

They crossed over to the other side of the sea, but His dis-ciples forgot to take bread. 6 Then Jesus said to them, “Watchout! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

7 They discussed this among themselves and said, “Is Hesaying this because we forgot to bring bread?”

8Aware of their discussion, Jesus said, “You of little faith!Why are you discussing among yourselves that you have nobread? 9Do you not understand yet? Do you not remember thefive loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you

filled? 10

Do you remember the seven loaves for the four thou-sand, and how many baskets you filled? 11Do you not under-stand that I was not talking to you about bread? But to bewareof the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 12 Then theyunderstood that He was not telling them to beware of the yeastin bread, but to beware of the teaching of the Pharisees andSadducees.

13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He

asked His disciples, “Who do men say the Son of Man is?”14 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, some sayElijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

15 Then He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the

living God!”17 Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of John,

because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but Myheavenly Father. 18I tell you that you are Peter, and on thisrock I will build My church, and the gates of hell will notprevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of

16



Matthew 17

36

heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”20 Then He commanded His disciples not to tell anyone that Hewas the Christ.

21From then on Jesus began to tell His disciples that Hemust go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders,the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and be killed,and be raised again on the third day. 22 Then Peter took Himaside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! Thiswill never happen to You!”

23But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me,satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For your mind is noton the things of God, but on the things of man.”

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires tocome after Me, he must deny himself and take up his crossand follow Me. 25Whoever desires to save his life will lose it,but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26For whatwill it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits hissoul? Or what can a man offer in exchange for his soul? 27Forthe Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with Hisangels, and then He will reward every man according to hisworks. 28 Truly I say to you, some who are standing here willnot taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in Hiskingdom.”

Six days later Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John, and brought them up on a high mountain where

they could be alone. 2 There, before their very eyes, Jesus wastransformed. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes be-came as white as light. 3Suddenly Moses and Elijah appearedand began talking with Him.

4Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how wonderful it is for us to behere! If You want, I will make three shelters here—one for You,one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

5As Peter was saying this, a radiant cloud suddenly sur-rounded them. And a voice from the cloud said, “This is Mybeloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”

6When the disciples heard this they fell on their faces,utterly terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying,

17



Matthew 17

37

“Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8And when they lifted up theireyes, they saw no one but Jesus.

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus command-ed them, “Tell no one about this vision, until the Son of Manhas been raised from the dead.”

10 Then His disciples asked Him, “Why do the teachers of thelaw say that Elijah must come first?”

11 Jesus answered and said, “Elijah truly does come first, inorder to get everything ready. 12But I tell you that Elijah hasalready come, and they did not recognize him, but did to himwhat they wanted. In a similar way, the Son of Man is destinedto suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples realized that Hewas talking to them about John the Baptist.

14When they came down from the mountain a crowd metthem. And a man came and knelt down before Jesus, begging,15“Lord, have mercy on my son! He suffers such terrible sei-zures that he often falls into the fire or into the water. 16Ibrought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17 Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and pervertedgeneration! How much longer must I be with you? How muchlonger must I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 Then

Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of him, and the boywas instantly healed.

19Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked,“Why could we not cast that demon out?”

20 Jesus said to them, “It was because of your lack of faith.For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustardseed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 Thiskind of demon, however, does not come out except by prayerand fasting.”

22While they were travelling together in Galilee, Jesus saidto them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into thehands of men. 23 They will kill Him, but He will be raised on thethird day.” And the disciples were filled with grief.



Matthew 18

38

24When they arrived in Capernaum, those collecting the tem-ple tax came up to Peter and asked, “Does not your Teacher

pay the temple tax?”25Peter answered, “Yes, He does.”When Peter entered the house, Jesus spoke first, saying,

“What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of theearth collect customs or taxes, from their own sons or fromothers?”

26Peter replied, “From others.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt. 27However,

so that we do not offend them, go to the sea, throw in a hook

and take the first fish you catch. Open its mouth, and in it youwill find a coin. Then take the coin and pay the tax for both of us.”

At that time the disciples came up to Jesus and asked,“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then

Jesus called a little child forward, and set the little child intheir midst. 3He said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are con-

verted, and become like little children, you will never enter thekingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself likethis little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.5And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name wel-comes Me. 6But whoever causes one of these little ones whobelieve in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a largemillstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in thedepths of the sea. 7Woe to the world because of the stumblingblocks that cause people to sin! These things are inevitable,

but woe to the man who causes others to stumble and sin!8“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and

throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with a missinglimb than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown intoeternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, rip it out andthrow it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye thanto have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. 10Makesure you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell

you that their angels in heaven constantly see the face of MyFather who is in heaven. 11For the Son of Man has come tosave that which was lost.

18





Matthew 19

40

25But since he could not pay his debt, the king ordered him tobe sold, along with his wife and children and all his posses-sions, in order to pay off the debt. 26But the servant fell downand begged him, saying, ‘Lord, be patient with me, and I willpay you back everything I owe you.’ 27So the king, filled withcompassion, forgave his debt and let him go.

28“But that servant went out and found one of his fellowservants who owed him $8,000. He grabbed him by the throatand said, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 19 29 The man fell downat his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and Iwill pay you back.’ 30But he refused to have compassion on theman, and had him thrown into prison until he could pay backthe debt. 31When the other servants saw what he had done,they were very upset and went to the king and reported all thathe had done. 32 Then the king called him in and said, ‘Youwicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you pleadedwith me. 33You should have had compassion on your fellowservant just as I had on you.’ 34 The king was angry, andhanded him over to the torturers until he could pay back allthat he owed. 35 This is what My heavenly Father will do toevery one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from yourheart.”

After saying these things, Jesus left Galilee and trav-elled along the east side of the Jordan River to the

region of Judea. 2Large crowds followed Him, and He healedthem there.

3Intending to trap Him, the Pharisees came to Jesus andasked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for anyreason?”

4He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that

19 “But he went out and found one of his fellow servants who

owed him a hundred denarii.” A denarius was a day’s wages.In Canada where I am from, minimum wage is $10(CAD) anhour. $10×8hours=$80. So a day’s wages where I am from is$80(CAD). $80×100=$8,000. A hundred denarii is $8,000(CAD).

19



Matthew 19

41

from the beginning the Creator made them ‘male and female,’ 20

5and said,

‘For this reason a man will leave his fatherand mother and will be joined to his wife,and the two will become one flesh’?(Genesis 2:24)

6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what Godhas joined together, let man not separate.”

7

They asked Him, “Then why did Moses command us to givea woman a certificate of divorce and to send her away?”8He answered them, “It was because of the hardness of your

hearts that Moses permitted you to divorce your wives.However, it was not this way from the beginning. 9I tell youthat whoever divorces his wife, except for unfaithfulness, andmarries another woman, commits adultery. And whoever mar-ries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

10

The disciples said to Him, “If that is the only reason aman can divorce his wife, it is better not to marry.”11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this statement,

but only those to whom it is given. 12Some men are celibatebecause they were born with birth defects. Others are celibatebecause they were castrated. And some have chosen to becelibate for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever canaccept this should accept it.”

13

Then some little children were brought to Jesus so thatHe could lay His hands on them and pray for them, but thedisciples rebuked them.

14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me. Do not stopthem, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”15So He laid His hands on them, and then left that place.

16Someone came up to Him and said, “Good Teacher, whatgood thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”

17

Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? There isonly One who is good, and that is God. But if you want to

20 Genesis 1:27, 5:2



Matthew 19

42

obtain eternal life, you must keep the commandments.”18 The man asked Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus answered,

“‘You must not murder, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not give false testimony,19honour your father and mother,’ (Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20)

and,

‘love your neighbour as yourself.’”(Leviticus 19:18)

20 The young man said to Him, “I have kept all of these com-mandments since my childhood, so what do I still lack?”

21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go sell yourpossessions and give the proceeds to the poor, and you willhave treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me.” 22Butwhen the young man heard this, he went away sad, becausehe had many possessions.

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it isdifficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24AgainI say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of aneedle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

25His disciples were greatly amazed when they heard this,and asked, “Then who can be saved?”

26But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this isimpossible, but with God all things are possible.”

27 Then Peter said to Him, “We have left everything to followYou, so what will there be for us?”

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne in the age to come, you whohave followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging thetwelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses orbrothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children orfields for My name’s sake, will receive a hundred times asmuch and will inherit eternal life. 30However, many who arefirst will be last, and many who are last will be first.



Matthew 20

43

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who wentout early in the morning to hire some workers for his

vineyard. 2

He agreed to pay the workers $80 for the day, andsent them over to his vineyard.21 3At nine o’clock he went outand saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4and said tothem, ‘Go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you what isfair.’ So they went. 5 Then he went out at noon, and then againat three o’clock, and did the same thing. 6At five o’clock hewent out and found some others standing idle, and askedthem, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 Theyanswered him, ‘No one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘Go and

work in my vineyard, and I will pay you what is fair.’ 8“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his

manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, begin-ning with those hired last and ending with those hired first.’ 9When those who were hired at five o’clock came, they received$80 each. 10When those who were hired first came, they ex-pected to receive more, but they also received $80 each.11When they received their wages they complained to the land-

owner, 12

saying, ‘These last men worked only one hour, whilewe worked hard all day in the scorching heat, yet you havemade them equal to us!’ 13But he answered one of them,‘Friend, I have not wronged you. Did you not agree to work for$80? 14 Take your money and go! What is it to you, if I want togive them the same amount as I gave to you? 15Do I not havethe right to do what I want with my own money? Or are youresentful because I am generous?’ 16So the last will be first,and the first will be last. For many are called, but few are

chosen.”17On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples

aside and said to them privately, 18“We are now on our way to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him todeath, 19and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked,

21 “He agreed to pay the workers a denarius for the day, and

sent them over to his vineyard.” A denarius was a day’s wages.In Canada where I am from, minimum wage is $10(CAD) anhour. $10×8hours=$80 So a day’s wages where I am from is$80(CAD).

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whipped, and crucified. But on the third day He will riseagain.”

20 Then Zebedee’s wife came to Jesus with her two sons,knelt down, and asked Him for a favour.

21He said to her, “What do you want?”She said to Him, “Promise me that in Your kingdom my two

sons will sit one at Your right hand and the other at Your left.”22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you

are asking! Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink, orbe baptized with the baptism that I am about to be baptizedwith?”

They said to Him, “Yes, we can.”23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from My cup

and be baptized with the baptism that I am about to be bap-tized with, but it is not for Me to decide who will sit at My rightor left hand. On the contrary, it is My Father who will makethat decision.”

24Upon hearing this, the other ten disciples became angrywith the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them over and said,“You know that the Gentle rulers lord it over their subjects,and that their men of high rank exercise authority over thepeople. 26But it will not be that way with you. On the contrary,if anyone wants to become great, he must be your servant.27And if anyone wants to be first, he must be your slave. 28Forthe Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and togive His life as a ransom for many.”

29As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him.30Sitting by the roadside were two blind men. When they heardthat Jesus was passing by, they cried out, saying, “Have mercyon us, Lord, Son of David!” 31 The crowd told them to be quiet,but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us,Lord, Son of David!”

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

33 They said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes opened.” 34Filled

with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. And instantly theyreceived their sight and followed Him.



Matthew 21

45

As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He came to the townof Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus

sent two of His disciples off 2

with these instructions: “Go to thetown across the way. As soon as you get there you will find adonkey with her colt. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3If anyone says anything to you, say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ andthey will immediately send them.” 4 This happened to fulfillwhat was spoken by the prophet:

5“Tell the daughter of Zion,‘Look! Your King comes to you,

meek and riding on a donkey,on a donkey’s colt.’”(Zechariah 9:9)

6So the disciples went and did as Jesus had commandedthem. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt. Then they puttheir coats on the colt, and He sat on it. 8A very large crowdspread their coats on the road, while others cut down palmbranches and laid them in His path. 9 The crowds in front and

behind cried out,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!Blessed is He who comes

in the name of the Lord!Hosanna in the highest!”

(Psalm 118:25-26)

10All Jerusalem was stirred when He entered the city, and

they asked, “Who is this?”11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from thetown of Nazareth in Galilee.”

12When Jesus entered the temple of God, He threw out allthose who were buying and selling in the temple. He over-turned the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of thosewho were selling doves. 13He said to them, “It is written,

‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ (Isaiah 56:7)

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46

but you have made it a den of bandits.”22

14 The blind and the lame came to Him in the temple and Hehealed them. 15But the chief priests and the teachers of thelaw became angry when they saw the remarkable things Hewas doing and the children crying out in the temple, saying,“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

16So they asked Him, “Do You hear what they are saying?” Jesus answered, “Yes, have you never read,

‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infantsYou have perfected praise’?”(Psalm 8:2)

17 Then He left Jerusalem and spent the night in the town of Bethany.

18Early in the morning, as He was returning to Jerusalem,He became hungry. 19He saw a fig tree by the roadside andwent up to it, but found nothing on it but leaves. So He said toit, “May you never bear fruit again!” And instantly the fig treewithered.

20Upon seeing this, the disciples marvelled and said, “Howdid the fig tree wither so quickly?”

21 Jesus answered them, “Truly I say to you, if you havefaith and do not doubt, not only will you be able to do this tothe fig tree, but if you say to this mountain, ‘Lift yourself upand throw yourself into the sea,’ it will be done. 22If you be-lieve, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

23 Jesus entered the temple, and as He was teaching, thechief priests and the elders of the people approached Him andasked, “By what authority are You doing these things? And whogave You this authority?”

24 Jesus answered and said to them, “I have a question for you. And if you answer it, I will tell you by what authority I amdoing these things. 25Where did John’s authority to baptizecome from? Was it from heaven, or from men?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say,‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe

22 Jeremiah 7:11



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John?’ 26But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd,because they all believe that John was a prophet.”

27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” Then He said to them, “Well, then, I will not tell you by what

authority I am doing these things.

28“Now what do you think? There was a man who had twosons. He went to the first son and said, ‘Son, go and work inmy vineyard today.’ 29His son answered, ‘I will not go,’ but laterhe changed his mind and went. 30 Then the father went to theother son and said, ‘Son, go and work in my vineyard today.’ His son answered, ‘I will go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31So whichof the two did his father’s will?”

They said to Him, “The first son.”In response, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, the tax col-

lectors and the prostitutes will get into the kingdom of Godbefore you. 32For John came to show you the way of righteous-ness, but you did not believe him. However, the tax collectorsand the prostitutes did. And even when you saw this, you didnot repent and believe him.

33“Now listen to another parable. There was a landownerwho planted a vineyard. He put a hedge around it, dug a winevat, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to some farmersand departed. 34When it was harvest time, he sent his slaves tothe farmers to collect his share of the fruit. 35But the farmersgrabbed his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stonedanother. 36 Then he sent more slaves than the first time, butthe farmers did the same to them. 37Last of all he sent his sonto them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38But when thefarmers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir.Come, let us kill him and take his inheritance!’ 39 Then theygrabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.40Now what will the owner of the vineyard do to those farmerswhen he returns?”

41 They said to Him, “He will utterly destroy those wickedmen. Then he will lease the vineyard to other farmers who willgive him his share of the fruit each harvest.”

42

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in theScriptures,



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‘The Stone that the builders rejectedhas become the Cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing,and it is marvellous in our eyes’?(Psalm 118:22-23)

43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken awayfrom you and will be given to a people who will produce theproper fruit. 44Anyone who falls on this Stone will be broken topieces, and anyone it falls on will be ground to powder.”

45

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His par-ables, they knew that He was talking about them. 46 Thereforethey wanted to arrest Him. But they were afraid of the crowds,because they believed that Jesus was a prophet.

Again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2“Thekingdom of heaven is like a king who hosted a wedding

banquet for his son. 3He sent his slaves to call those who had

been invited to the wedding banquet, but they refused to come.4So he sent more slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have beeninvited, “Look! I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fattedcalves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Cometo the wedding banquet.”’ 5But they did not care and went off— one to his farm, another to his business. 6 The rest grabbed hisslaves, mistreated them, and then killed them. 7When the kingheard this he became angry. He sent his army, and theydestroyed those murderers and burned down their city.

8“Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding banquet is ready,but those who were invited were not worthy. 9So go out intothe roads and invite as many people to the wedding banquet as

you can find.’ 10 Then his slaves went out into the roads androunded up everyone they could find, both good and bad, andthe wedding banquet was filled with guests.

11“When the king went in to look at the guests, he saw a

man who was not wearing the wedding clothes that wereprovided. 12He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in herewithout wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. 13 Then

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the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot and throwhim outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping

and gnashing of teeth.’ 14

For many are invited, but few arechosen.”

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might trap Jesus in His words. 16 They sent some of their disciples to Him,along with some of the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we knowthat You are sincere and teach the way of God in truth. ForYou are not concerned with what others think about You, be-cause You are not influenced by anyone. 17Now tell us what You

think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”18But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, “Why are youtrying to trap Me, you hypocrites? 19Show Me a coin used forpaying taxes.” So they handed Him a denarius.23 20 Then Heasked them, “Whose image and inscription is this?”

21 They answered, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,

and to God what is God’s.” 22After hearing this, they marvelled. Then they left Him and went on their way.

23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resur-rection, came and asked Him a question, 24saying, “Teacher,Moses said,

‘If a man dies without having children,his brother must marry the widowand have a child on behalf of his brotherin order to preserve his family line.’

(Deuteronomy 25:5-6)25Now there were seven brothers who lived among us. Theoldest married, and then died. But since he had no children,the second brother married the widow. 26But the same thinghappened to the second brother, and to the third, and to allseven brothers. 27And last of all, the woman died too. 28Sowhose wife will she be at the resurrection, since she marriedall seven of them?”

23 A denarius was worth a day’s wages.



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29But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are in error,because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.30

At the resurrection men will not marry, and women will notbe given in marriage; on the contrary, they will be like God’sangels in heaven. 31But concerning the resurrection of thedead, have you not read what God told you when He said,

32‘I am the God of Abraham,the God of Isaac,and the God of Jacob’?(Exodus 3:6)

He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

33When the crowds heard this, they marvelled at His teach-ing. 34Now when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced theSadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, anexpert in the law, tried to trap Him with a question, saying,36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus said to him,

“‘You must love the Lord your Godwith all your heart and with all your souland with all your mind.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5)

38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the sec-ond one is like it:

‘You must love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Leviticus 19:18)

40All the Law and the Prophets are based on these two com-mandments.”

41While the Pharisees were gathered there, Jesus askedthem a question, 42“What do you think about the Christ?Whose son is He?”

They said to Him, “The son of David.”43 Jesus asked them, “Then why did David, by the Spirit, callHim ‘Lord,’ saying,



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44‘The Lord said to My Lord,“Sit at My right hand

until I make Your enemiesa footstool for Your feet”’?(Psalm 110:1)

45If David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be his son?” 46No onewas able to answer Him a word, and after that day no onedared to ask Him any more questions.

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples,2saying, “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sitin Moses’ seat. 3 Therefore obey and practice what they teach

you, but do not do what they do, because they do not practicewhat they teach. 4For they tie up heavy loads that are hard tobear, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselvesrefuse to lift a finger to help move them.

5“They do all their works to be seen by men. Indeed, they

make their phylacteries bigger,24

and the tassels of their gar-ments longer.25 6 They love the seats of honour at banquets andthe most important seats in the synagogues. 7 They love to begreeted in the marketplaces, and to have men call them ‘Rabbi,Rabbi.’

8“But you must not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Teacher, the Christ, and you are all equal as brothers. 9And donot call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ for you have only one Father,

and He is in heaven. 10

You must not be called ‘Master,’ for youonly have one Master, the Christ. 11 The greatest among youwill be your servant. 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled,and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

13“Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! For you shut the door to the kingdom of heaven inmen’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, and when others try

24

Phylacteries are small boxes that are bound on the arm orforehead, which contain passages of Scripture, and is a cus-tom based on Deuteronomy 6:6-8, 11:18; Exodus 13:9, 16.25 Numbers 15:37-40; Deuteronomy 22:12.

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to enter you stop them. 14Woe to you, you teachers of the lawand Pharisees, you hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses,

and for a show make long prayers. Therefore, you will receivegreater condemnation!

15“Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! For you cross land and sea to make a single con-vert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as mucha son of hell as you are!

16“Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, ‘Whoever swears

an oath by the temple is not bound by his oath. But whoeverswears an oath by the gold in the temple is bound by his oath.’ 17You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple thatmakes the gold holy? 18You also say, ‘Whoever swears an oathby the altar is not bound by his oath. But whoever swears anoath by the gift on the altar is bound by his oath.’ 19You blindfools! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the giftholy? 20 Therefore, whoever swears an oath by the altar swearsby it and by everything on it. 21And whoever swears an oath by

the temple swears by it and by the One who dwells in it. 22

Andwhoever swears an oath by heaven swears by God’s throne andby the One who sits on it.

23“Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! For you give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cum-min, yet you neglect the weightier matters of the law—such as,

justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have tithed, with-out neglecting the weightier matters of the law. 24You blind

guides! You strain a gnat out of your water, but swallow acamel!26

25“Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and dish, butinside you are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26You blindPharisees! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, then theoutside will be clean as well.

26

Some of the Pharisees strained their water through a clothto avoid swallowing the smallest unclean thing (Leviticus 11:41-43). Yet, figuratively, they were swallowing one of the largest(Leviticus 11:4).



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27“Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which look

beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of deadmen’s bones and every kind of uncleanness. 28Likewise, on theoutside you look righteous to men, but on the inside you arefull of hypocrisy and wickedness.

29“Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and dec-orate the graves of the righteous, 30and say, ‘If we had lived inthe days of our fathers, we would not have helped them shed

the blood of the prophets.’ 31

By saying this you testify against yourselves, that you are the sons of those who murdered theprophets. 32And you will finish the work that your fathersbegan!

33“You snakes! You offspring of vipers! How will you escapebeing condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I will send you prophets,wise men, and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify,and some of them you will whip in your synagogues and per-

secute from city to city. 35

Therefore you will be held account-able for all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from theblood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah,27 the son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and thealtar. 36 Truly I say to you, this generation will be held account-able for all these things!

37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets andstone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to

gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks un-der her wings, but you would not let Me! 38Look! Your house isleft to you desolate! 39For I say to you, from now on you willnot see Me until you say,

‘Blessed is He who comesin the name of the Lord!’”(Psalm 118:26)

27 2 Chronicles 24:20-22



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As Jesus was leaving the temple, His disciples came upto Him and pointed out the buildings of the temple.

2

But Jesus said to them, “Do you see all these buildings? TrulyI say to you, not one stone will be left on another. They will allbe thrown down.”

3While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, His disciplescame up to Him privately and said, “Tell us, when will thesethings happen? And what will be the sign of Your coming, andof the end of the age?”

4

Jesus answered and said to them, “Watch out that no onedeceives you. 5For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I amthe Christ,’ and they will deceive many. 6And you will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are notalarmed. For these things must happen, but the end is not yet.7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against king-dom. There will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in vari-ous places. 8But all these things are the beginning of birthpains. 9 Then they will hand you over to be tortured and put to

death, and you will be hated by all nations on account of Myname. 10 Then many will apostatize, and will betray and hateone another. 11Many false prophets will arise, and will deceivemany. 12And lawlessness will increase, causing the love of many to grow cold. 13But whoever endures to the end will besaved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimedthroughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and thenthe end will come.

15

“When you see the ‘abomination that causes desolation,’ which the prophet Daniel spoke about, standing in the holyplace (reader take note of this),28 16then those who are in

Judea must flee to the mountains! 17Whoever is on the rooftopmust not go down to take anything out of their house. 18Andwhoever is in the field must not turn back to get their coat.19How terrible it will be in those days for women who arepregnant or nursing. 20But pray that you will not have to make

your escape in the winter or on the Sabbath. 21For at that time

there will be great tribulation, worse than anything that hashappened from the beginning of the world until now—and

28 Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11

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nothing like it will ever happen again. 22If those days had notbeen cut short, nobody would survive. But for the sake of the

elect, those days will be shortened.23“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is the

Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24For false christsand false prophets will arise and will perform great signs andwonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25Look!I have told you this beforehand. 26If anyone says to you, ‘Look!He is in the wilderness,’ do not go. And if anyone says, ‘Look!He is hiding in a secret place,’ do not believe him. 27For as

lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so willthe coming of the Son of Man be. 28Wherever there is a corpse,there the vultures will gather.

29“Immediately after the tribulation of those days,

‘The sun will be darkened,the moon will not give its light,the stars will fall from heaven,

and the powers of heaven will be shaken.’ (Isaiah 13:10, 34:4)

30“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Andall the tribes of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky with power and greatglory. 31And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpetcall, and they will gather His elect from the four winds—fromone end of the earth to the other.

32“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: when its budsbecome tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know thatsummer is near. 33Likewise, when you see all these things, youwill know that the time is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I sayto you, this generation will not pass away until all these thingsare fulfilled. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My wordswill never pass away.

36

“Nobody knows when that day or hour will come—not theangels in heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father.37When the Son of Man comes, it will be just like the days of Noah. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating



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and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until theday Noah entered the ark. 39 They did not know what was going

to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. Thatis how it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40At that time,two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, andone will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain at themill—one will be taken, and one will be left. 42 Therefore, stayawake! For you do not know what day your Lord is coming.43Remember this: had the owner of the house known when thethief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would nothave let his house be broken into. 44Likewise, you must also be

ready! For the Son of Man will come at an hour you do notexpect.

45“Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the masterhas put in charge of his servants, to give them their food allow-ance at the proper time? 46How blessed is that slave whom hismaster finds doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I say to you, hewill put him in charge of all that he owns. 48But if that wickedslave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming back for a

while,’ 49

and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat anddrink with drunkards, 50the master of that slave will come on aday that he does not expect and at an hour he does not know.51 Then his master will whip him severely and assign him aplace with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping andgnashing of teeth.

“At that time, the kingdom of heaven will be like ten

virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet thebridegroom. 2Five of them were wise, and five were foolish.3 The foolish virgins took their lamps, but did not take any oilwith them. 4 The wise virgins, however, took flasks of oil withtheir lamps. 5But when the bridegroom was late in coming, theybecame tired and fell asleep. 6At midnight someone shouted,‘Look! The bridegroom is coming! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Thenall the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8But the fool-ish virgins said to the wise virgins, ‘Give us some of your oil!

Our lamps are going out!’ 9

But the wise virgins replied, ‘No! Therewill not be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those whosell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 10But while they were outbuying some oil, the bridegroom came. The virgins who were

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ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the doorwas closed. 11Later the other virgins arrived and said, ‘Lord,

Lord, open the door for us!’ 12

But He answered and said, ‘TrulyI say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Therefore keep watch, be-cause you do not know the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come.

14“The kingdom of heaven is also like a man who was goingon a trip. He summoned his slaves and gave them each somemoney to invest for him. 15He gave five talents (one hundredthousand dollars) to one, two talents (forty thousand dollars)

to another, and one talent (twenty thousand dollars) to an-other—each according to their ability. Then he left on histrip.29

16“The one who had received the five talents went out andinvested it, and doubled his investment. 17Likewise, the onewho had received the two talents doubled his investment.18But the one who had received the one talent went and dug ahole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

19“After a long time their master came back and settled ac-counts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talentscame in and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, yougave me five talents. Look! I have earned another five talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave!

29 A talent is 75 pounds. He gave 375 pounds to one, 150pounds to another, and 75 pounds to another. Precious metals

are weighed in troy ounces. There are 14.583 troy ounces in anAmerican (Avoirdupois) pound. 14.583×(the price of silver).Right now (February 3, 2014) silver is worth $19.34(USD) pertroy ounce. 14.583×$19.34=$282.04So today silver is worth $282.04 (USD) a pound.375×$282.04=$105,765So five talents is $105,765(USD)150×$282.04=$42,306So two talents is $42,306(USD)

75×$282.04=$21,153So one talent is $21,153(USD)Precious metals always fluctuate, and this is just to give you ageneral idea of how much this is worth.



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You were faithful over a few things, so I will put you in chargeof many things. Come and share your master’s joy.’ 22 The one

who had received the two talents also came in and said,‘Master, you gave me two talents. Look! I have earned anothertwo talents.’ 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good andfaithful slave! You were faithful over a few things, so I will put

you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s joy.’

24“The one who had received the one talent also came inand said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man. For you

reap where you did not sow and gather where you did notscatter seed. 25So in fear, I went and hid your talent in theground. Here, take what is yours.’ 26His master said to him,‘You wicked and lazy slave! If you knew that I reaped where Idid not sow and gathered where I did not scatter seed, 27then

you should have deposited my money with the bankers. Andwhen I returned, I would have received it back with interest.28 Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to the one whohas the ten talents. 29Whoever has, will be given more—indeed,

he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, evenwhat he has will be taken away from him. 30Now throw thatworthless slave outside into the darkness, where there will beweeping and gnashing of teeth.’

31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holyangels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 32And allthe nations (Gentiles) will be gathered before Him, and He willseparate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the

sheep from the goats. 33

And He will put the sheep on His rightand the goats on His left.

34“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, youwho are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom that wasprepared for you from the foundation of the world! 35For I washungry, and you gave Me something to eat. I was thirsty, and

you gave Me something to drink. I was a stranger, and youinvited Me in. 36I was naked, and you gave Me clothes. I was

sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you came tovisit Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord,when did we see You hungry, and give You something to eat?Or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38Or a stranger,





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always have Me. 12When she poured this fragrant oil on Mybody, she did it to prepare Me for My burial. 13 Truly I say to

you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world,what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to thechief priests, 15and said, “What will you give me, if I hand Himover to you?” And they offered him thirty pieces of silver.16From that moment on, Judas began to look for an oppor-tunity to hand Him over.

17

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the dis-ciples came up to Jesus and asked Him, “Where do You wantus to prepare the Passover meal?”

18He said, “Go to a certain man in the city and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near, therefore My disciples and Iwill celebrate the Passover at your house.”’” 19So the disciplesdid as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passovermeal.

20

When evening came, He sat down with the twelve. 21

Whilethey were eating, He said, “Truly I say to you, one of you willbetray Me.”

22Filled with sorrow, each of them began to ask Him, “Lord,is it I?”

23But Jesus answered and said, “The one who dips his handinto the bowl with Me is the one who will betray Me. 24Indeed,the Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him. But woeto the man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for

him if he had never been born.”25 Then Judas, the one who was going to betray Him, asked,“Rabbi, is it I?”

Jesus answered him, “You are correct.”

26As they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and after givingthanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said,“Take this and eat it, for this is My body.” 27 Then He took thecup, and after giving thanks He gave it to them, and said, “Allof you drink from it— 28for this is My blood, the blood of theNew Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgive-ness of sins. 29I tell you this: I will not drink of this fruit of the



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vine again, until that day when I drink it new with you in MyFather’s kingdom.”

30After singing a hymn, they made their way to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “Tonight you will all fallaway on account of Me, for it is written,

‘I will strike the Shepherd,and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ (Zechariah 13:7)

32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”33But Peter said to Him, “Even if they all fall away on ac-

count of You, I will never fall away!”34 Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, before the rooster

crows tonight, you will deny Me three times.”35Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will

never deny You!” And all the disciples said the same thing.

36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane,and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there topray.” 37 Taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along withHim, He began to be greatly overwhelmed with grief and an-guish. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, tothe point of death. Wait here and stay awake with Me.” 39Hewent a little further, fell on His face, and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. However, Your will bedone, not Mine.” 40 Then He returned to the disciples and foundthem asleep. He said to Peter, “Could you not stay awake withMe for one hour? 41Stay awake, and pray that you will notenter into temptation. Indeed, the spirit is willing, but the fleshis weak.”

42He went back a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.”43 Then He returned again and found them asleep, for theireyes were heavy.

44So He left them, went back a third time, and prayed thesame words again. 45 Then He returned to the disciples andsaid to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look! Thetime has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the



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hands of sinners. 46Get up, let us go! Look! Here comes Mybetrayer!”

47As Jesus was saying this, Judas, one of the twelve, ar-rived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords andclubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people.48Now His betrayer, Judas, promised to give them a signal. Hesaid, “The One I kiss is the Man you want. Arrest Him.”

49At once, Judas went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings,Rabbi,” and kissed Him.

50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come here?”

Then they came and grabbed hold of Jesus and arrested Him.51Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus reached for his

sword and drew it. He struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back whereit belongs! All those who use the sword will die by the sword.53Do you not realize that I could ask My Father for more thantwelve legions of angels, and He would instantly send them toMe? 54But then, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say

this must happen?”55 Then Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with

swords and clubs to arrest Me, as if I were some kind of bandit? Daily I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not ar-rest Me. 56But all this has happened, so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples desertedHim and fled.

57

Those who had arrested Jesus took Him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law andthe elders had assembled. 58But Peter followed Him at a dis-tance, all the way to the high priest’s courtyard, and then wentin and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.

59 The chief priests and the elders and the entire Sanhedrinwere looking for false evidence against Jesus, because theywanted Him to be put to death. 60But they could not find any,

even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally twofalse witnesses came forward, 61and said, “This Man said, ‘I amable to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Have You



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no response to the accusations they are making against You?”63But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to Him,

“I command You in the name of the living God to tell us if Youare the Christ, the Son of God!”64 Jesus answered him, “You are correct. Furthermore, in

the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right handof the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and exclaimed, “Hehas blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look!You have just heard Him blaspheme. 66What do you think?”

They replied, “He is guilty of death!” 67 Then they spit in His

face and hit Him with their fists, and slapped Him, 68

saying,“Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is it who hit You?”

69While Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, a slave-girl came up to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee.”

70But Peter denied Him before them all, saying, “I do notknow what you are talking about.” 71 Then he went over to thegateway.

There another slave-girl saw him, and said to those stand-ing there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”72 This time Peter denied Him with an oath, saying, “I do not

know the Man!”73A little while later, those who were standing there said to

Peter, “You must be one of them, for your accent gives youaway.”

74Denying Him again, Peter swore an oath, saying, “I do notknow the Man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. 75 Then

Peter remembered the words that Jesus had spoken to him:“Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Andhe went out and wept bitterly.

Early in the morning all the chief priests and the eldersof the people met together and plotted to put Jesus to

death. 2 They tied Him up, led Him away, and delivered Him toPontius Pilate the governor.

3Now when Judas, the man who had betrayed Jesus, sawthat Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse andreturned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the

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elders, 4saying, “I have sinned! I have betrayed innocent blood!”But they replied, “What is that to us? That is your problem.”

5 Then Judas threw the pieces of silver onto the floor of thetemple, and went off and hung himself.

6But the chief priests picked up the pieces of silver andsaid, “It is not lawful to put this into the temple treasury, be-cause it is blood money.” 7So they decided to use the money tobuy the Potter’s Field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That iswhy, to this very day, that field is called the “Field of Blood.”9 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah whenhe said,

“They took the thirty pieces of silver,the price at which the people of Israelvalued Him at,10and used it to buy the potter’s field,as the Lord directed me.”(Zechariah 11:12-13)

11 Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor askedHim, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered him, “You are correct.”12While the chief priests and the elders made their accu-

sations against Him, He made no reply. 13So Pilate said to Him,“Do You not hear the charges they are bringing against You?”14But to the governor’s surprise, He did not answer a word.

15Now each Passover it was the governor’s custom to releaseone prisoner to the crowd—any prisoner they wanted. 16At thattime they had a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. 17So whenthe crowd had gathered together, Pilate asked them, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or

Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For Pilate knew that the Jewishleaders had delivered Jesus over to him because they wereenvious. 19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wifesent him a message, saying, “Leave that innocent Man alone.

This morning I had a very disturbing dream about Him.”20Meanwhile, the chief priests and the elders persuaded the

crowds to ask for the release of Barabbas and to have Jesus



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put to death. 21But Pilate asked them again, “Which of thesetwo do you want me to release to you?”

They shouted, “Barabbas!”22Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus,

who is called Christ?” They all shouted, “Crucify Him!”23But the governor asked, “Why? What wrong has He done?”But they began to shout even louder, saying, “Crucify Him!”24Since Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, and that a

riot was about to break out, he took some water and washedhis hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of thisMan’s blood. It is on your hands!”

25And all the people answered and said, “Let His blood beon us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas tothem. But he had Jesus whipped, and then delivered Him overto be crucified.

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Prae-torium, and the entire regiment gathered around Him. 28 Theystripped Him, and put a scarlet robe around Him. 29 They wovea crown of thorns and placed it on His head, and put a staff inHis right hand. Then they knelt down in front of Him andmocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spiton Him, and took the staff and struck Him on the head re-peatedly. 31When they had finished mocking Him, they tookthe robe off Him and dressed Him in His own clothes. Thenthey led Him away to be crucified.

32As they were going out, they found a man from the city of Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry His cross.33 They came to the place called “Golgotha” (which means, “ThePlace of the Skull”). 34 There they gave Him vinegar mixed withbitter herbs to drink.30 But when He tasted it, He would notdrink it. 35When they crucified Him, they divided His clothes

30 This drink acted as a narcotic to help dull the pain and con-sciousness of the person suffering. As soon as Jesus tasted it,

He refused to drink it. Instead, He endured the cross (Hebrews12:2)! According to Mark this drink was mixed with myrrh(Mark 15:23). Just before His death Jesus drank vinegar “with-out myrrh” (John 19:28-30; Matthew 27:48; Mark 15:36).



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among themselves by casting lots. This happened to fulfill whatwas spoken by the prophet,

“They divided My garments among them,and cast lots for My clothing.”(Psalm 22:18)

36 Then they sat there and guarded Him. 37Above His head theyplaced a sign with the charges written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 They crucified two bandits with Him, one on His right andone on His left. 39 Those passing by insulted Him and shooktheir heads, 40saying, “You who were going to destroy the tem-ple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are theSon of God, come down from the cross!”

41 The chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders alsomocked Him, saying, 42“He saved others, but He cannot saveHimself! If He is the King of Israel, let Him come down from thecross—then we will believe Him! 43He trusts in God, so let Godrescue Him now if He wants Him. After all, He said, ‘I am theSon of God’!” 44And the two bandits who were crucified withHim also insulted Him.

45At noon, darkness came over the entire land and lasteduntil three in the afternoon. 46At about three o’clock, Jesuscried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachtha-ni?” (that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”)

47When some of those who were standing there heard this,they said, “This Man is calling Elijah!” 48Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, soaked it with vinegar, put it on astick, and gave it to Him to drink.

49But the others said, “Leave Him alone! Let us see if Elijahwill come to save Him!” 50 Then Jesus cried out again with aloud voice and died.

51Suddenly, the curtain of the temple was torn in two fromtop to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were splitapart. 52Moreover, the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had died, arose, 53and having come out of their



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tombs after His resurrection, they went into the Holy City andappeared to many. 54When the officer and his men, who were

guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and everything else thathappened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this Man wasthe Son of God!”

55Several women were there, watching from a distance. Theyhad followed Jesus from Galilee, and had ministered to Him.56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of

James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

57

That evening a rich man arrived from the city of Arimathea.His name was Joseph, and he too was a disciple of Jesus. 58Heapproached Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilategave the order, and His body was given to him. 59 Joseph tookthe body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60and laid it in hisown new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. Then he rolleda large stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61ButMary Magdalene and the other Mary stayed there, sittingacross from the tomb.

62 The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate. 63 They said,“Sir, when that deceiver was still alive, we remember that Hesaid, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore, give ordersthat the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise Hisdisciples might come at night and steal His body, and then tellthe people, ‘He has risen from the dead!’ Then the last decep-tion will be worse than the first.”

65

Pilate said to them, “Take some guards and make it assecure as you can.” 66So they went and secured the tomb byplacing a seal on the stone and posting guards.

After the Sabbath, at dawn, on the first day of the week,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to visit the

tomb. 2Suddenly there was a great earthquake. And an angelof the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone from

the entrance, and sat on it. 3

His appearance was like lightning,and his clothes were as white as snow. 4 The guards shook interror and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the

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women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here, for He has risen,

just as He said. Come! See the place where the Lord was lying.7Go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead.He is going to Galilee ahead of you, and you will see Himthere.’ Now remember what I have told you.”

8So the women left the tomb quickly with great fear andexcitement, and ran to tell His disciples. 9As they were on theirway to tell His disciples, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!”And they came up to Him, grabbed hold of His feet, and wor-

shiped Him. 10

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid! Goand tell My brothers to go to Galilee. When they get there, theywill see Me.”

11As the women were on their way, some of the guards wentinto the city and told the chief priests everything that hadoccurred. 12 The chief priests met with the elders and decidedto give the soldiers a large sum of money. 13 They said to thesoldiers, “You must say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole

Him while we were sleeping.’ 14

If the governor hears about this,we will satisfy him with an explanation and keep you out of trouble.” 15So the soldiers took the money and did as they weretold. And to this very day their story has been widely circulatedamong the Jews.

16So the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountainwhere Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw Him, theyworshiped Him, but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to themand said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and onearth. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, bap-tizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and theHoly Spirit, 20teaching them to obey everything that I have com-manded you. Look! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.



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Mark

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.2As it is written in the prophets:

“Look! I will send My messenger ahead of You,who will prepare Your way before You.”(Malachi 3:1)

3

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord,make straight paths for Him!’”(Isaiah 40:3)

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a bap-tism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5All those from

Judea and Jerusalem went out to see him, and they confessedtheir sins and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River.6

John was dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt aroundhis waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed:

“One is coming after mewho is far more superior than I;I am not even worthy to stoop downand untie His sandals.

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

9In those days Jesus came from the town of Nazareth inGalilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10Assoon as Jesus came up out of the water, John saw the heavensbeing torn open and the Spirit descending upon Him like adove. 11And a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are My be-loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

12Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. 13He

was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by satan. He waswith the wild animals, and the angels took care of Him.

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14Now after John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God, 15saying,

“The time has come, and the kingdom of heaven is near!Repent, and believe the good news!”

16As Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee,He saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were casting anet into the sea, because they were fishermen.

17“Come follow Me,” Jesus said to them, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 18So immediately they abandoned theirnets and followed Him.

19Going a little further He saw James, the son of Zebedee,and his brother John, mending nets in a boat. 20Immediately

Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in theboat with the hired men and followed Him.

21 Then they went to the town of Capernaum. As soon as itwas the Sabbath, He entered the synagogue and began toteach. 22 They were amazed at His teaching, for unlike the

teachers of the law, He taught with authority.23In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit,

who cried out, 24“Leave us alone! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know whoYou are—the Holy One of God!” 25But Jesus rebuked him,saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26After throwing theman into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loudvoice and came out of him.

27

Everyone was amazed and said to one another, “What isthis doctrine? For with authority He gives commands tounclean spirits and they obey Him!” 28And news about Himspread swiftly throughout the entire region of Galilee.

29As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simonand Andrew’s house with James and John. 30Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and right away they told

Jesus about her. 31 Then Jesus went and took her by the hand

and raised her up, and immediately the fever left her, and shebegan to serve them.



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32 That evening, after sunset, they brought to Him all whowere sick and demon-possessed. 33And the entire town gath-

ered at the door. 34

He healed many who were sick with variousdiseases and cast out many demons. But He would not allowthe demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesusgot up and went to a solitary place to pray. 36Simon and theothers went looking for Him, 37and when they found Him, theysaid to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”

38“Let us go to the neighbouring towns,” Jesus replied, “so

that I can preach in them as well—for that is why I havecome.” 39So He went throughout Galilee preaching in their syn-agogues and casting out demons.

40Now a leper came to Jesus and fell on his knees, beggingHim, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

41Filled with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand andtouched him. “I am willing,” He said. “Be cleansed!” 42As soonas He said this, the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

43

Jesus sent him away immediately, strictly warning him,44“Do not tell anyone. Go and show yourself to the priest, andoffer the sacrifice that Moses prescribed for your cleansing as atestimony to them.” 45But he went off and began to spread thenews to everyone. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter atown openly. Instead He stayed in solitary places, and the peo-ple came to Him from everywhere.

A few days later, when He returned to the town of Caper-naum, word spread that He was home. 2So many gatheredthat there was no more room, not even outside the door, andHe preached the word to them. 3Four men came carrying aparalyzed man. 4But they were not able to bring him to Jesusbecause of the crowd. So they removed the roof tiles andlowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5When

Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, yoursins are forgiven.”

6

But some of the teachers of the law were sitting therethinking in their hearts, 7“Why does this Man speak such blas-phemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

8 Jesus immediately knew in His spirit what they were

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thinking, and said to them, “Why are you thinking such thingsin your hearts? 9 Tell Me, is it easier to say to this paralyzed

man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, pick up yourmat, and walk’? 10But to let you know that the Son of Man hasauthority on earth to forgive sins,” He said to the paralyzedman, 11“I say to you, ‘Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.’”12Immediately he stood up, picked up his mat, and walked outin front of everyone. And the people all marvelled and glorifiedGod, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

13Once more Jesus went out by the sea. A large crowd came

to Him, and He taught them. 14

After moving on from there, Hesaw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and Hesaid to him, “Follow Me!” So Levi got up and followed Him.

15While Jesus was eating at Levi’s house, many tax col-lectors and sinners sat at the table with Jesus and His dis-ciples—for many of them had become His followers. 16When theteachers of the law and the Pharisees saw Him eating with taxcollectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “Why does He

eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”17When Jesus heard them, He said, “Those who are healthydo not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. I have notcome to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

18Since John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting,they came and asked Him, “Why do John’s disciples and thedisciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?”

19 Jesus replied, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast

while he is still with them? As long as the bridegroom is withthem, they cannot fast. 20But the time will come when thebridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they willfast. 21Nobody patches an old garment with a piece of un-shrunk cloth. Otherwise the patch would shrink and rip awayfrom the garment, causing an even bigger tear. 22Nobody putsnew wine into old wineskins. If they did, the wine would swelland burst the wineskins. Then the wine would pour out, andthe wineskins would be ruined. Instead, they put new wine

into new wineskins.”23One Sabbath, as Jesus was walking through the grain

fields, His disciples began picking heads of grain. 24“Look,” the



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Pharisees said to Him, “why are they doing what is unlawful onthe Sabbath?”

25

“Have you not read what David did,” said Jesus, “when heand his men were in need and hungry? 26He went into thehouse of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate theconsecrated bread, which was not lawful for anyone but thepriests to eat, and he gave some to his men as well?”

27“The Sabbath was made for man,” remarked Jesus, “notman for the Sabbath. 28Furthermore, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus went into the synagogue once again, and a man witha paralyzed hand was there. 2Since they were looking for a

reason to accuse Him, they watched Him closely to see if Hewould heal the man on the Sabbath. 3 Then Jesus said to theman with the paralyzed hand, “Stand in the middle of thesynagogue.” 4And He asked them, “Is it lawful to do good onthe Sabbath, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill?” But theyremained silent. 5 Jesus looked around at them in disgust,

deeply grieved at the hardness of their hearts. Then He said tothe man, “Stretch out your hand.” So the man stretched outhis hand, and it was completely healed—just as good as hisother hand. 6Immediately the Pharisees went out and beganplotting with the Herodians against Him, trying to find a wayto destroy Him.

7 Jesus left with His disciples and went to the sea. And alarge crowd followed Him. They were from Galilee, Judea,8

Jerusalem, Idumea, and from east of the Jordan River, as wellas from Tyre and Sidon. The large crowd came to Him becausethey heard of all He was doing. 9He told His disciples to get asmall boat ready for Him, so that the crowd would not crushHim. 10For He had healed so many people that everyone whohad diseases kept pushing their way forward to touch Him.11Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down beforeHim and cried out, “You are the Son of God!” 12But Jesusstrictly warned them not to reveal His identity.

13 Jesus went up on the hillside and called those He wanted,and they came to Him. 14He appointed twelve to accompanyHim, so that He could send them out to preach, 15and to have

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the authority to heal diseases and to cast out demons. 16Andthese are the twelve He appointed:

Simon (whom Jesus named Peter),17 James and his brother John (the sons of Zebedee,whom Jesus nicknamed “Boanerges,” which means,“Sons of Thunder”),18Andrew (the brother of Simon Peter),Philip,Bartholomew (also called Nathanael),Matthew (also called Levi),

Thomas (also called Didymus—“the twin”), James (the son of Alphaeus), Judas Lebbaeus (also called Thaddaeus),Simon (the Zealot),19 Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Him).

20Now Jesus was unable to eat bread, because a crowd hadgathered again. 21When His family heard this, they went to getHim, saying “He is out of His mind!”

22And the teachers of the law who had come up from Jeru-salem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! He casts out demonsby the prince of demons!”31

23So Jesus called them over and spoke to them in parables:“How can satan cast out satan? 24If a kingdom is dividedagainst itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is di-vided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26If satan risesup against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, and hisend has come. 27No one can enter a strong man’s house andsteal his belongings, unless he first ties up the strong man.

Then he can rob his house. 28 Truly I say to you, men will beforgiven for every sin and blasphemy they utter. 29But whoeverblasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, be-cause they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30He said this, becausethey were saying that He had an unclean spirit.





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31His mother and His brothers arrived. They stood outsideand sent someone in to call Him. 32 Those sitting around Jesus

said to Him, “Look! Your mother and Your brothers are outsidelooking for You.”33 Jesus replied, “Who is My mother or My brothers?” 34 Then

He looked at those sitting around Him and said, “Look! Mymother and My brothers! 35Whoever does the will of God is Mybrother and sister and mother.”

Again Jesus began to teach by the sea, and a very large

crowd gathered around Him. He got into a boat and sat onthe sea, while all the people remained on the seashore. 2Usingparables, He began teaching them many things. As He wasteaching them, He said, 3“Listen! A sower went out to sow hisseed. 4As he was sowing, some of the seeds fell on the path-way, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Some of the seedsfell on rocky ground, where there was not much soil. Theysprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6But when thesun was hot, the young plants were scorched. They withered

up, because their roots were not deep enough. 7

Some of theseeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up andchoked the plants, and they did not produce a crop. 8But someof the seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop that grew upand increased thirty, sixty, or hundredfold.” 9 Then He said tothem, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”

10When Jesus was alone, the twelve disciples and the othersaround Him asked Him about the parables. 11“The knowledge

of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,” Hereplied, “but to those who are outside everything is in parables:

12‘They will look with their eyesbut never see.

They will hear with their earsbut never understand.

Otherwise, they would turn to Me,and I would forgive their sins.’”

(Isaiah 6:9-10)13“If you do not understand this parable,” He said to them,

“then how will you understand any other parable? 14Now: the

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sower sows the word. 15Some are like the seeds on the path-way, where the word is sown. When they hear it, satan imme-

diately comes and takes away the word that was sown in theirhearts. 16Others are like the seeds sown on rocky ground.When they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.17But since they are not deeply rooted they only last for a shorttime. When tribulation or persecution comes on account of theword they immediately fall away. 18Still others are like theseeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word, 19but thecares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desiresfor other things come in and choke the word, making it un-

fruitful. 20

Others are like the seeds sown on good ground.When they hear the word, they welcome it, and produce a cropthat yields thirty, sixty, or hundredfold.”

21 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you bring a lamp into aroom and put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not!You place it on a lamp stand. 22For all that is hidden will berevealed, and all that is secret will come to light. 23Whoeverhas ears to hear, let him hear!”

24 Jesus said to them, “Pay careful attention to what you arehearing. For whatever degree you pay attention, will be the de-gree you understand. The more you pay attention, the moreunderstanding you will gain. 25For whoever has, to him morewill be given. And whoever does not have, even what he haswill be taken away from him.”

26 Then Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who

scatters seed on the ground. 27

Whether he is asleep at night orawake during the day the seed sprouts and grows, though hedoes not know how. 28For the ground produces crops byitself—first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he starts cutting it withhis sickle, because the harvest has come.”

30He went on to say, “To what can we compare the kingdomof God to? Or what parable can we use to describe it? 31It is

like a mustard seed. When it is sown in the ground, it is small-er than all the other seeds on earth. 32However, after it hasbeen sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the herbs.



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It produces such large branches that the birds of the air nestin its shade.”32

33With many such parables He spoke the word to them, asmuch as they were able to understand. 34He did not say any-thing to them without using parables, but privately He ex-plained everything to His disciples.

35 That day, when evening had come, He said to His dis-ciples, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36So they left thecrowd and got into the boat that He was in. And some other

boats followed them. 37

A terrible windstorm arose, and thewaves began to beat against the boat and to fill it with water.38 Jesus, however, was in the back of the boat sleeping on acushion. They woke Him up. “Teacher!” they exclaimed, “Do Younot care that we are about to die?”

39 Then He got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,“Peace, be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was agreat calm. 40 Then He asked them, “Why are you so fearful? Do

you still have no faith?”41

They were greatly terrified and said to one another, “Whatkind of Man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

They arrived on the other side of the sea, in the region of the Gerasenes. 2As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a

man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs to meet Him.3He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him, noteven with chains. 4He had often been bound with shackles and

chains, but had torn the chains apart and broke the shacklesin pieces. No one was able to subdue him. 5Night and day hewas always on the hillside among the tombs, screaming andcutting himself with stones.

6Seeing Jesus a long ways off, he ran up and fell downbefore Him. 7 Then he cried out with a loud voice, “What do youwant with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to Godthat You will not torment me!” 8For Jesus had said to him,

32 In the days of Jesus, the mustard seed was the smallestseed used by farmers and gardeners in the Holy Land. Thesemustard plants could grow up to ten feet tall!

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garment,” she said to herself, “I will be healed.” 29Immediatelythe source of her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body

that she was healed of her illness.30Immediately Jesus knew within Himself that power hadgone out from Him. So He turned around in the crowd andsaid, “Who touched My garments?”

31“You see the crowd pressing against You,” said the dis-ciples, “and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had touchedHim. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her,came with fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told

Him the whole truth. 34

“Daughter,” Jesus said to her, “yourfaith has healed you. Go in peace, and be healed of yourillness.”

35While He was still speaking, some people came from thesynagogue leader’s house. “Your daughter has died,” they said.“Why trouble the Teacher any further.”

36When Jesus heard what they said, He said to the syna-gogue leader, “Do not be afraid. Just believe.” 37And He did not

let anyone follow Him except Peter, and the two brothers, James and John. 38When He arrived at the house of the syna-gogue leader and saw all the commotion, and the people weep-ing and wailing, 39He went inside and said to them, “Why are

you weeping and making such a commotion? The girl is notdead. She is only sleeping.”

40But they mocked Him with laughter. After He had remov-ed them all, He took the girl’s father and mother, and thosewho were with Him, and went into the room where the girl was

lying. 41

Then He took the girl by the hand and said to her,“Talitha, koum!” which means, “Girl, I say to you, get up!” 42Andthe girl, who was twelve years old, immediately got up andstarted to walk around. And her parents were shocked andamazed. 43 Then He gave them strict orders not to tell anyonewhat had happened, and told them to give her something toeat.

Jesus left there and went to the town of Nazareth, whereHe had grown up, and His disciples followed Him. 2On theSabbath He began to teach in the synagogue, and all thosewho heard Him marvelled.6



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“Where did He get these things?” they asked. “What is thiswisdom that has been given to Him, that He even performs

miracles through His hands? 3

Is this not the carpenter, theson of Mary, the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?Are not His sisters here with us?” And they were offended byHim.

4“A prophet is honoured everywhere,” said Jesus, “but inhis own town, among his relatives, and among his own family.”5He was unable to do any miracles there except to lay Hishands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And He marvelledat their unbelief.

Then He went around teaching from village to village. 7Hecalled the twelve and began to send them out two by two, giv-ing them authority over unclean spirits. 8He commanded themto take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—notraveller’s bag, no bread, and no money in their belts. 9 Theywere to wear sandals, but they were not to take along any ex-tra clothes.

10“Whenever you enter a house,” He said to them, “stay

there until you leave that place. 11

If that place does not wel-come you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it willbe better on the day of judgment for Sodom and Gomorrahthan for that town.”

12So they went out and proclaimed that men should repent.13 They cast out many demons, anointed many sick people withoil, and healed them.

14King Herod heard of all this, because Jesus’ name hadbecome well known. For some were saying, “John the Baptisthas been raised from the dead, and that is why these powersare at work in Him.”

15Others were saying, “He is Elijah.”Still others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the

prophets of old.”16When Herod heard of all this, he said, “It is John, whom I

beheaded. He has risen from the dead!”17For Herod himself had sent and arrested John, and had

him bound and put in prison, because of Herodias, his brother



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Philip’s wife, whom he had married. 18For John had said toHerod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”19

So Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to killhim. But she was not able to, 20because Herod feared John. Heknew that John was a righteous and holy man, so he kept

John safe. When he heard John he was greatly puzzled, yet heenjoyed listening to him.

21 The opportunity Herodias had been waiting for had ar-rived. It was Herod’s birthday, and he hosted a banquet for hisnobles, commanders, and the most prominent men of Galilee.22

When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced for Herodand his guests, she pleased the king so much that he said toher, “Ask me for anything you want, and I will give it to you.”23And he swore an oath to her, “I will give you anything youask for, up to half my kingdom.”

24 Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should Iask for?”

Her mother said, “The head of John the Baptist.”25Immediately she hurried back to the king and said, “I

want you to give me right now, on a platter, the head of Johnthe Baptist.”26 This deeply grieved the king. But because of his oath and

his guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27Immediately theking sent an executioner and commanded him to bring John’shead. So the man went and beheaded John in prison. 28Hebrought John’s head on a platter and gave it to the girl, who inturn gave it to her mother. 29When John’s disciples heardabout this, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told Him abouteverything they had done and taught. 31 There were so manypeople coming and going that they did not even have time toeat. “Come with Me,” said Jesus, “to a solitary place and restfor a while.” 32So they went off in a boat by themselves to asolitary place. 33 The people saw them leaving, and many of them recognized Him. So they hurried on foot from all thetowns and arrived ahead of them. 34When Jesus got out of the

boat and saw the large crowds, He had compassion on them,because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Then Hebegan to teach them many things.



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35As the hour grew late, His disciples came to Him and said,“This is a solitary place, and it is getting late. 36Send them away,

so they can go into the surrounding countryside and towns tobuy some bread for themselves. For the people have nothing toeat.”

37He answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to Him, “Should we go and buy $16,000 worth of

bread and give it to them to eat?”33

38 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Goand see.”

When they found out, they said, “Five loaves and two fish.”39

Then He commanded them all to sit down in groups onthe green grass. 40And they sat down in groups of hundredsand fifties. 41 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish,looked up to heaven, and gave thanks. Then He broke theloaves, and gave them to His disciples to hand out to the peo-ple. He divided the two fish among them as well. 42 The peopleate and were all satisfied. 43And the disciples picked up the leftover pieces of bread and fish, filling up twelve baskets. 44Aboutfive thousand men had eaten the loaves.

45Immediately after this, Jesus made His disciples get intothe boat to cross over to the other side, to the town of Beth-saida. He, however, stayed behind to dismiss the crowds.46After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the hillside topray. 47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of thesea, and He was alone on land. 48 Jesus saw them straining atthe oars, because the wind was against them. And in thefourth watch of the night Jesus came to them walking on thesea.34 He wanted to approach them, 49but when they saw Himwalking on the sea they thought He was a ghost and cried out.50 They all saw Him and were terrified, so Jesus spoke to themat once. “Take courage,” He said, “it is I! Do not be afraid!”51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped.Overwhelmed with amazement, the disciples marvelled. 52 They

33 “Should we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of breadand give it to them to eat?” A denarius was a day’s wages. In

Canada where I am from, minimum wage is $10 an hour.$10×8hours=$80. So one day’s wages is $80(CAD). $80×200=$16,000. So two hundred denarii is $16,000(CAD).34 The fourth watch of the night was from 3:00–6:00 A.M.



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did not understand about the loaves, because their heartswere hardened.

53Crossing over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchoredthe boat. 54As soon as they got out of the boat, everyone rec-ognized Him. 55 They ran throughout that entire region, carry-ing the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. 56Wher-ever He went—into villages, towns, or the countryside—theylaid the sick in the marketplaces, begging Him to let them justtouch the hem of His garment. And all who touched Him werehealed.

The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who hadcome from Jerusalem gathered around Him. 2When they

saw some of His disciples eating bread with unclean hands— that is, unwashed hands—they found fault with them. 3(Forthe Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they washtheir hands thoroughly, thus keeping the tradition of theelders. 4When they come in from the marketplace, they do noteat unless they wash themselves. There are many other tradi-tions they keep, such as the washing of cups, pots, bronzevessels, and tables.)

5So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked Him,“Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unwashed hands?”

6He answered and said to them, “Isaiah was right when Heprophesied about you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘These people honour Me with their lips,but their hearts are far from Me.

7 They worship Me in vain,because the doctrines they teachare man-made rules.’ (Isaiah 29:13)

8“You lay aside the commandments of God in order to keep your man-made traditions, such as the washing of pots andcups. And you do many other things like that.” 9 Jesus contin-ued, “You are good at rejecting the commandments of God inorder to keep your traditions. 10For Moses said, ‘Honour your

7



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father and your mother,’ 35 and ‘Whoever blatantly disrespectshis father or mother must be put to death.’ 36 11But you say, ‘If

a man says to his father or mother in need, “Whatever support you might have received from me is Corban (that is, a giftdevoted to God),” 12then you allow him to neglect his fatherand mother.’ 13You have nullified the word of God by yourtradition that you have handed down. And you do many otherthings like that.”

14 Then Jesus called all the people to Him, and said to them,“Everyone listen to Me, and understand this: 15nothing that

goes into a man from the outside can defile him. It is whatcomes out of a man that defiles him. 16Whoever has ears tohear, let him hear!”

17When He went into the house away from the crowd, Hisdisciples asked Him about this parable. 18“Do you have nounderstanding?” He asked. “Do you not realize that nothingthat goes into a man from the outside can defile him? 19For itdoes not go into his heart but into his stomach, and then is

eliminated.” (By saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)20 Then He said, “It is what comes out of a man that defileshim. 21For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evilthoughts, adultery, fornication, murder, 22theft, greediness,wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, arrogance, andfoolishness. 23All these evil things come from within and defilea man.”

24 Jesus got up from there and went to the region of Tyre

and Sidon. He entered a house and did not want anyone toknow that He was there, but He could not keep it a secret.25Upon hearing about Him, a woman whose daughter had anunclean spirit came and fell down at His feet. 26Now thewoman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth. She kept beg-ging Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.

27“First let the children eat what they want,” Jesus said toher, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw itto the dogs.”

35 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:1636 Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9



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28“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “but even the dogs under thetable eat the children’s crumbs.”

29

“For such an answer,” He said to her, “you may go. Thedemon has gone out of your daughter.” 30When she returnedhome, she found her daughter lying in bed, and the demonwas gone.

31Moving on from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He went tothe Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. 32 Theybrought to Him a deaf man who could hardly speak, and theybegged Him to lay His hands on him. 33So Jesus took him

aside from the crowd. He put His fingers into the man’s ears,and then spit and touched his tongue. 34 Then He looked up toheaven, sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (which means,“Be opened!”). 35Immediately his ears were opened, the imped-iment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke clearly.

36 Jesus commanded the people not to tell anyone. But themore He commanded them, the more they told everyone. 37 Thepeople were overwhelmed with amazement.

“Everything He does is wonderful!” they exclaimed. “He evenmakes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak!”

In those days there was a very large crowd with nothing toeat. So Jesus summoned His disciples. 2“I have compas-

sion for the crowd,” said Jesus, “because they have been withMe for three days now and have nothing to eat. 3If I send themhome hungry, they will faint on the way, because some of them

have come a long distance.”4“Where in this wilderness,” answered the disciples, “couldanyone get enough bread to feed these people?”

5“How many loaves do you have?” He asked them.“Seven,” they replied.6 Then He commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground.

He took the seven loaves, and gave thanks. Then He broke theloaves and gave them to His disciples to hand out, and theyhanded them out to the crowd. 7 They also had a few small fish.He gave thanks for them, and told the disciples to hand themout as well. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. And the disci-ples picked up the left over pieces, filling up seven baskets.9About four thousand men ate. After sending them away, 10He

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immediately got into the boat with His disciples and went tothe region of Dalmanutha.

11Intending to trap Him, the Pharisees came to Jesus andasked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 12 Jesus sigheddeeply in His spirit. “Why does this generation look for a sign?”He said. “Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this gen-eration!” 13 Then He left them, got into the boat again, and wentto the other side of the sea.

14 The disciples had forgotten to take bread with them, sothey had only one loaf in the boat. 15“Watch out!” Jesus warn-ed them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”

16 They discussed this among themselves and said, “Is Hesaying this because we have no bread?”

17Aware of this, Jesus asked, “Why are you talking abouthaving no bread? Do you not comprehend or understand? Are

your hearts hardened? 18Do you have eyes, but do not see? Do you have ears, but do not hear? Do you not remember? 19WhenI broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many bas-ketfuls of leftovers did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they said to Him.20“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,

how many basketfuls of leftovers did you pick up?”“Seven,” they said.21“Do you still not understand?” Jesus asked them.

22When He arrived at Bethsaida, they brought a blind manto Him and begged Him to touch him. 23So Jesus took theblind man by the hand and led him out of the town. Then Hespit on his eyes, placed His hands on him, and asked him,“Can you see anything?”

24 The man looked around. “I can see people,” he said, “butthey look like trees walking around.”

25Again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes andmade him look around. His sight was restored, and he saweverything clearly. 26 Then Jesus sent the man home. “Do notgo into the town,” He said, “or tell anyone in the town aboutthis.”



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27 Then Jesus and His disciples went to the towns aroundCaesarea Philippi. On the way He asked His disciples, “Who do

men say that I am?”28“Some say John the Baptist,” they replied, “some say Elijah,and others say that You are one of the other prophets.”

29“What about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say that Iam?”

“You are the Christ,” answered Peter.30And Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about Him.

31 Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man mustsuffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law, and be killed, and afterthree days rise again. 32As He spoke openly about this, Petertook Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33But Jesus turnedaround, looked at His disciples, and rebuked Peter. “Get be-hind Me, satan!” He said. “For your mind is not on the thingsof God, but on the things of man.”

34 Then Jesus called the crowd to Him, as well as His disci-ples. “If anyone desires to come after Me,” Jesus said, “he mustdeny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. 35Whoeverdesires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life forMy sake and for the gospel will save it. 36For what will it profita man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? 37Orwhat can a man offer in exchange for his soul? 38Whoever isashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinfulgeneration, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him whenHe comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Then Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, some whoare standing here will not taste death until they see the

kingdom of God come in power.”

2Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and ledthem up on a high mountain to be alone. There, before theirvery eyes, Jesus was transformed. 3His clothes became radi-ant, very white, like snow—whiter than anyone on earth couldbleach them. 4 Then Elijah and Moses appeared and begantalking with Jesus.

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5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, how wonderful it is for us to behere! I will make three shelters—one for You, one for Moses,

and one for Elijah.” 6

Peter did not know what to say, for theywere all terrified.7 Then a cloud came and surrounded them, and a voice

came from the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Listen toHim!” 8Suddenly, as they looked around, they saw no one withthem but Jesus.

9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus orderedthem not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of

Man had risen from the dead. 10

So they kept the matter tothemselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.11“Why, then,” they asked Him, “do the teachers of the law

say that Elijah must come first?”12“Elijah truly does come first,” He answered, “in order to

get everything ready. But why is it written that the Son of Manmust suffer many things and be rejected? 13But I tell you thatElijah has come, and they did to him what they wanted, justas it is written about him.”

14When He came to the other disciples, He saw a largecrowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing withthem. 15As soon as the whole crowd saw Him, they were greatlyamazed and ran to greet Him.

16“What are you arguing with them about?” He asked theteachers of the law.

17“Teacher,” said a man in the crowd, “I brought my son toYou. He is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute.18

Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down. He foams at themouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked Yourdisciples to cast it out, but they could not do it.”

19“You unbelieving generation!” remarked Jesus. “How muchlonger must I be with you? How much longer must I put upwith you? Bring him here to Me.”

20So they brought the boy to Him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell tothe ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

21

“How long has this been happening?” Jesus asked hisfather.“Since childhood,” he replied. 22“Many times it has thrown

him into the fire or the water to destroy him. But if You can do



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anything, have compassion on us and help us!”23“If you can believe,” Jesus said to him, “all things are

possible for him who believes.”24Immediately the child’s father cried out and said with

tears, “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!”25When Jesus saw that a crowd was running towards Him,

He rebuked the unclean spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” Hesaid, “I command you to come out of him and to never enterhim again!”

26 Then the unclean spirit cried out, threw the boy into con-vulsions, and came out. The boy looked lifeless, and many saidthat he was dead. 27But Jesus took him by the hand andhelped him up, and he stood up.

28When Jesus entered the house, His disciples asked Himprivately, “Why could we not cast it out?”

29“This kind of demon,” answered Jesus, “does not come outexcept by prayer and fasting.”

30 They departed from there and passed through Galilee. Hedid not want anyone to know where He was, 31because He wasteaching His disciples. “The Son of Man,” Jesus said to them,“is going to be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and theywill kill Him. After He is killed, He will rise on the third day.”32But they did not understand what He was talking about, andthey were afraid to ask Him.

33 Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was in thehouse, He asked them, “What were you arguing about on theroad?” 34But they made no reply, because on the way they hadbeen arguing with each other about who was the greatest. 35SoHe sat down and called the twelve to Him. “If anyone wants tobe first,” He said, “he must be last of all and servant of all.”

36 Then He took a little child and stood him in their midst,and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37“Whoever wel-comes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me. Andwhoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me, but Him who sentMe.”

38“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone casting out de-mons in Your name. We tried to stop him, because he was notone of us.”



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39“Do not stop him,” said Jesus, “because no one who performsa miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me.40

For whoever is not against us is for us. 41

For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong toChrist, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

42“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe inMe to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstonehung around his neck and to be cast into the sea. 43If yourright hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you toenter life without a limb than to have two hands and go intohell—into the unquenchable fire, 44where

‘Their worm does not die,and the fire is not quenched.’ 37

45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life without a limb than to have two feet and bethrown into hell—into the unquenchable fire, 46where

‘Their worm does not die,and the fire is not quenched.’

47And if your eye causes you to sin, rip it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have twoeyes and be thrown into the fire of hell, 48where

‘Their worm does not die,and the fire is not quenched.’

49For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice willbe salted with salt. 50Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavour,how can it be made salty again? Have salt in yourselves, andbe at peace with one another.”

Jesus left that place and travelled along the east side of the Jordan River to the region of Judea. Again crowds

37 Isaiah 66:24

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gathered around Him, and as was His custom, He taught them.2Intending to trap Him, the Pharisees came to Jesus and askedHim, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

3He answered, “What did Moses command you?”4 They said, “Moses allowed us to write a certificate of di-

vorce and to send her away.”5But Jesus answered them, “It was because of the hardness

of your hearts that he wrote this commandment for you. 6Butfrom the beginning of creation ‘God made them male andfemale.’ 38

7‘For this reason a man will leave his fatherand mother and will be joined to his wife,8and the two will become one flesh.’ (Genesis 2:24)

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. 9 Therefore, what Godhas joined together, let man not separate.”

10When they went inside the house, the disciples asked Himabout this. 11 Jesus said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife,and marries another woman, commits adultery against her.12And if a woman divorces her husband, and marries anotherman, she commits adultery.”

13Some people brought their little children to Jesus so thatHe could touch them, but His disciples rebuked them. 14When

Jesus saw this, He was displeased, and said to them, “Let thelittle children come to Me. Do not stop them, because thekingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to

you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a childwill not enter it.” 16 Then He took the children in His arms, laidHis hands on them, and blessed them.

17As Jesus was going on His way, a man ran up and kneltdown before Him. “Good Teacher,” he asked, “what must I doto inherit eternal life?”

18“Why do you call Me good?” Jesus asked him. “There isonly One who is good, and that is God. 19You know the com-mandments:

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‘You must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, you must not give false testimony, you must not defraud,honour your father and mother.’”(Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20;Leviticus 19:13)

20“Teacher,” he replied, “I have kept all of these command-ments since my childhood.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “There is one thing you lack,” He said. “Go and sell everything you have and givethe proceeds to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Then come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” 22 This state-ment made the man gloomy, and he went away sad, becausehe had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How dif-ficult it is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God!”24

The disciples were amazed at what He said. But Jesus said tothem again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust inriches to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel togo through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter thekingdom of God.”

26 They were greatly amazed and said to one another, “Thenwho can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impos-sible, but not with God. For with God all things are possible.”

28

“Look,” said Peter to Him, “we have left everything to fol-low You.”29“Truly I say to you,” replied Jesus, “there is no one who

has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother orwife or children or fields for My sake and for the sake of thegospel 30who will not receive a hundred times as much in thispresent age—houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, andfields, with persecutions—and eternal life in the age to come.31However, many who are first will be last, and many who are

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32As they were on their way down to Jerusalem, Jesus ledthe way. This amazed them, but as they followed Him they be-

came anxious and afraid. Again He took the twelve aside andbegan to tell them what was going to happen to Him. 33“We arenow on our way to Jerusalem,” He told them, “and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachersof the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Himover to the Gentiles, 34who will mock Him, whip Him, spit onHim, and kill Him. But on the third day He will rise again.”

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to

Him. “Teacher,” they said, “we want You to do us a favour.”36“What do you want Me to do for you?” asked Jesus.37 They said to Him, “Promise us that in Your glory we will

sit one at Your right hand and the other at Your left.”38“You do not know what you are asking!” Jesus replied.

“Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink, or be bap-tized with the baptism that I am about to be baptized with?”

39“Yes,” they said to Him, “we can.”“Indeed,” said Jesus, “you will drink from the cup that I am

about drink and will be baptized with the baptism that I amabout to be baptized with. 40But it is not for Me to decide whowill sit at My right or left hand. On the contrary, it is MyFather who will make that decision.”

41Upon hearing this, the other ten disciples became angrywith James and John. 42 Jesus called His disciples to Him andsaid, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of theGentiles lord it over their subjects, and that their men of high

rank exercise authority over the people. 43

But it will not bethat way with you. On the contrary, if anyone wants to becomegreat, he must be your servant. 44And if anyone wants to befirst, he must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did notcome to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ran-som for many.”

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving Jerichowith His disciples and a large crowd, a blind man named

Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus) sat by the road begging.



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47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began tocry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48But the people rebuked him and told him to be quiet.However, he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercyon me!”

49 Then Jesus stood still. “Call him,” He said.So they called the blind man. “Cheer up!” they said. “Get

up, He is calling you!” 50So the man threw off his coat, stoodup, and went to Jesus.

51“What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.“Lord,” the blind man answered, “I want to receive my sight!”52“Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” And instant-

ly the man received his sight and followed Jesus down theroad.

As He approached Jerusalem, near the towns of Beth-phage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent

two of His disciples off 2with these instructions: “Go to thetown across the way. As soon as you get there you will find acolt tied up that nobody has ever ridden. Untie it and bring ithere. 3If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘TheLord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

4So they went and found the colt outside in the street, tiedup at the doorway. As they were untying it, 5some of those whowere standing there asked them, “What are you doing, untyingthat colt?” 6So they answered just as Jesus had told them, andthey let them take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus andthrew their coats on it, and He sat on it.

8Many spread their coats on the road, while others cut off palm branches and laid them in His path. 9 Those in front andthose behind cried out:

“Hosanna!Blessed is He who comes

in the name of the Lord!”(Psalm 118:25-26)

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10“Blessed is the kingdom of our father David,who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!”11 Jesus entered Jerusalem, went to the temple, and looked

around at everything. But since it was already late in the eve-ning, He went out to the town of Bethany with the twelve.

12 The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus becamehungry. 13He saw a fig tree in the distance with leaves, andhoped to find some fruit on it. When He came to it, He foundnothing but leaves, because it was not fig season. 14 Jesus saidto the fig tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” AndHis disciples heard this.

15Arriving in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple and be-gan throwing out those who were buying and selling in thetemple. He overturned the tables of the moneychangers andthe seats of those who were selling doves, 16and He would notlet anyone carry merchandise through the temple. 17 Then Hebegan to teach them, saying, “Is it not written:

‘My house will be calleda house of prayer for all nations?’ (Isaiah 56:7)

But you have made it a den of bandits!”39 18When the teachersof the law and the chief priests heard this, they began lookingfor a way to kill Him. They were afraid of Him, because all thepeople were amazed at His teaching. 19When evening came, Hewent out of the city.

20In the morning, as they passed by, they noticed that thefig tree had withered to its very roots. 21Peter, rememberingwhat had happened, said to Him, “Look, Rabbi, the fig treethat You cursed has withered!”

22 Jesus replied, “Have faith in God! 23 Truly I say to you,whoever says to this mountain, ‘Lift yourself up and throw

yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, butbelieves that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

39 Jeremiah 7:11



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24 Therefore I say to you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believethat you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you

stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgivethem, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.26For if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not for-give your sins.”

27 They went to Jerusalem again. As Jesus was walking inthe temple, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and theelders came to Him. 28“By what authority are You doing thesethings?” they asked Him. “And who gave You this authority?”

29

“I have one question for you,” replied Jesus. “Answer Me,and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.30Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven or frommen? Answer Me.”

31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say,‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe

John?’ 32But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the crowd,because they all believe that John was a prophet.”

33“We do not know,” they said to Jesus.

“Well, then,” Jesus replied, “I will not tell you by what au-thority I am doing these things.”

Then He began to speak to them in parables: “Therewas a man who planted a vineyard. He put a hedge

around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then heleased it to some farmers and departed. 2At harvest time, hesent a slave to the farmers to collect from them his share of thevineyard’s fruit. 3But the farmers grabbed him, beat him, andsent him away empty-handed. 4So the man sent another slaveto them. But they stoned him, wounded his head, and senthim away in a shameful manner. 5 Then the man sent another,and they killed him. He sent many others; some of them theybeat, and others they killed. 6 The man had one more personleft to send, his beloved son. He sent him last, saying, ‘Theywill respect my son.’ 7But those farmers said to one another,‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance willbe ours!’ 8 Then they grabbed him, killed him, and threw him

out of the vineyard. 9What, then, will the owner of the vineyarddo? He will come and destroy those farmers and will give thevineyard to others. 10Have you not read this Scripture:

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‘The Stone that the builders rejectedhas become the Cornerstone.

11 This is the Lord’s doing,and it is marvellous in our eyes’?”(Psalm 118:22-23)

12 They wanted to arrest Him, because they knew that He hadspoken this parable against them, but they were afraid of thepeople. So they left Him and went away.

13 Then they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodiansto trap Him in His words. 14When they came to Him, they said,“Teacher, we know that You are sincere. For You are not con-cerned with what others think about You, because You are notinfluenced by anyone but teach the way of God in truth. Is itlawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15Should we pay orshould we not pay?”

But knowing their hypocrisy, Jesus said to them, “Why are you trying to trap Me? Bring Me a denarius so that I may lookat it.”40 16So they brought Him one. “Whose image and in-scription is this?” He asked them.

“Caesar’s,” they replied.17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Cae-

sar’s, and to God what is God’s.” And they marvelled at Him.

18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,came and asked Him a question, saying, 19“Teacher, Moseswrote this to us:

‘If a man’s brother dies,leaving a wife but no children,his brother must marry the widowand have a child on behalf of his brotherin order to preserve his family line.’ (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

20Now there were seven brothers. The oldest married a wife,but died without having children. 21So the second brother mar-ried her, but he also died without having children. The same




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thing happened to the third brother. 22In fact, all seven marriedher and died without having children. Last of all, the woman

died too. 23

So whose wife will she be at the resurrection whenthe dead rise, since all seven were married to her?”

24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not in error,because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?25For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be givenin marriage, but will be like the angels in heaven. 26Now con-cerning the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to

Moses,

‘I am the God of Abraham,the God of Isaac,and the God of Jacob’?(Exodus 3:6)

27He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Therefore you greatly err.”

28One of the teachers of the law came and heard themdebating. When he saw that Jesus had answered them well, heasked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

29 Jesus replied, “The most important of all the command-ments is this:

‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.30You must love the Lord your God

with all your heart and with all your souland with all your mindand with all your strength.’ (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

This is the most important commandment. 31And the secondone is like it:

‘You must love your neighbour as yourself.’

(Leviticus 19:18)



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There is no other commandment greater than these.”32 The teacher of the law said to Him, “Well said, Teacher! It

is true, God is one and there is no other besides Him. 33 To loveHim with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all

your soul, and with all your strength, and to love your neigh-bour as yourself, is more important than all burnt offeringsand sacrifices.”

34When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him,“You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that nobodydared to ask Him any more questions.

35As Jesus was teaching in the temple, He asked, “How canthe teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David?36For David himself said by the Holy Spirit,

‘The Lord said to My Lord,“Sit at My right handuntil I make Your enemiesa footstool for Your feet.”’ (Psalm 110:1)

37If David himself calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be his son?”And the large crowd listened to Him gladly.

38As He taught them, He said, “Beware of the teachers of the law. They love to walk around in long robes and to begreeted in the marketplaces. 39 They love to have the most im-portant seats in the synagogues and the seats of honour atbanquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses, and for a show makelong prayers. They will receive greater condemnation!”

41Sitting across from the temple treasury, Jesus watchedthe people dropping their money into the treasury. Many of therich dropped in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came anddropped in two small coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

43 Then Jesus called His disciples to Him. “Truly I say to you,” He remarked, “this poor widow has put more into thetreasury than the rest of them. 44For they all gave out of theirsurplus, but she out of her poverty has given all that she hadto live on.”



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As He was leaving the temple, one of His disciples saidto Him, “Teacher! Look at these magnificent stones, and

these magnificent buildings!”2“Do you see these great buildings?” Jesus said to him. “Notone stone will be left on another. They will all be thrown down.”

3While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite thetemple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately,4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be thesign that all these things are about to be fulfilled?”

5“Watch out that no one deceives you,” Jesus began to sayto them. 6“For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am theChrist,’ and they will deceive many. 7And when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. These thingsmust happen, but the end is not yet. 8For nation will riseagainst nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will beearthquakes in various places, and there will be famines andtroubles. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9

“Watch out for yourselves! They will hand you over to thecouncils, and you will be whipped in their synagogues. You willbe brought before governors and kings for My sake, to testify tothem. 10And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations.11When you are arrested and brought to trial, do not thinkbeforehand about what to say. But say whatever is given to

you at that moment, for it will not be you speaking, but theHoly Spirit. 12Brother will deliver up brother to death, and afather his child. Children will turn against their parents and

will have them put to death. 13

And everyone will hate you onaccount of My name. But whoever endures to the end will besaved.

14“When you see the ‘abomination that causes desolation,’ 41

which the prophet Daniel spoke about, standing where itshould not be (reader take note of this), then those who are in

Judea must flee to the mountains! 15Whoever is on the rooftopmust not go down into their house to take anything out of it.16

And whoever is in the field must not turn back to get their

41 Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11

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coat. 17How terrible it will be in those days for women who arepregnant or nursing. 18And pray that you will not have to make

your escape in the winter. 19

For at that time there will be greattribulation, worse than anything that has happened since thebeginning of creation, which God created, until now—andnothing like it will ever happen again. 20If the Lord had not cutshort those days, nobody would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, those days will be shortened.

21“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look! Here is theChrist,’ or ‘Look! There He is,’ do not believe him. 22For false

christs and false prophets will arise and will perform greatsigns and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even theelect. 23Watch out! I have told you everything ahead of time!24But in those days, after that tribulation,

‘The sun will be darkened,the moon will not give its light,25the stars will fall from heaven,and the powers of heaven will be shaken.’

(Isaiah 13:10, 34:4)26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds withgreat power and glory. 27He will send out His angels, and theywill gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of theearth to the ends of heaven.

28“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: when its budsbecome tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that

summer is near. 29

Likewise, when you see these things hap-pening, you will know that the time is near, right at the door.30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until allthese things are fulfilled. 31Heaven and earth will pass away,but My words will never pass away. 32Nobody knows when thatday or hour will come—not the angels in heaven, not even theSon, but only the Father. 33Watch out, stay awake, and pray,because you do not know when that time will come.

34

“It is like a man who went away from home on a trip, whoput his slaves in charge, each with their own task, and com-manded the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35 Therefore keep watch,



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because you do not know when the master of the house willcome back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at three

o’clock in the morning, or at sunrise.36

Indeed, you do not wanthim to come suddenly and find you sleeping. 37What I say to you I say to everyone: watch!”

Two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleav-ened Bread, the chief priests and the teachers of the

law were looking for some sly way to arrest and kill Him. 2“Wemust not do this during the feast,” they said, “or else there

may be a riot among the people.”3While Jesus was in the town of Bethany, at the house of

Simon the leper, a woman came up to Him as He sat at thetable. She had an alabaster jar of fragrant oil made of purenard, it was very expensive. She broke the jar open and pouredit on His head. 4Some who were there became angry and saidto themselves, “Why has this fragrant oil been wasted? 5Itcould have been sold for more than $24,000 and given to the

poor.”42

And they began to scold her.6“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her?She has done a beautiful thing for Me. 7You will always havethe poor with you and can help them anytime you want, but

you will not always have Me. 8She has done what she could.She has anointed My body beforehand to prepare it for burial.9 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached through-out the world, what she has done will also be told in memoryof her.”

10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11When they heard this, theywere glad and promised to give him silver. So he began to lookfor an opportunity to hand Him over.

42 “It could have been sold for more than three hundreddenarii and given to the poor.” A denarius was a day’s wages.

In Canada where I am from, minimum wage is $10(CAD) anhour. $10×8hours=$80. So a day’s wages where I am from is$80(CAD). 300×80=24,000. So three hundred denarii is$24,000(CAD).

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12On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, whenthey sacrificed the Passover lamb, His disciples asked Him,

“Where do You want us to go and prepare the Passover meal?”13 Then He sent off two of His disciples with these instruct-tions: “Go into the city, and there you will meet a man carryinga pitcher of water. Follow him, 14and say to the owner of thehouse he enters, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room,where I can eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15He willshow you a large upper room that is furnished and ready.Make preparations for us there.” 16So His disciples left, andwent into the city. They found everything just as He had toldthem, and they prepared the Passover meal.

17When evening came, He arrived there with the twelve. 18Asthey were sitting at the table eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to

you, one of you who is eating with Me will betray Me.”19Filled with sorrow, they asked Him one by one, “Is it I?”20“It is one of you twelve,” He replied. “The one who is dip-

ping his hand into the bowl with Me. 21Indeed, the Son of Manwill go just as it is written about Him. But woe to the man whobetrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he hadnever been born.”

22As they were eating, Jesus took the bread, and after givingthanks, He broke it and gave it to them. “Take this and eat it,”He said, “for this is My body.”

23 Then He took the cup, and after giving thanks He gave itto them, and they all drank from it. 24“This is My blood,” Hesaid, “the blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out formany. 25 Truly I tell you this: I will not drink again of the fruitof the vine, until that day when I drink it new in the kingdomof God.”

26After singing a hymn, they made their way to the Mount of Olives. 27“Tonight you will all fall away on account of Me,” said

Jesus, “for it is written,

‘I will strike the Shepherd,and the sheep will be scattered.’ (Zechariah 13:7)

28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”



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29“Even if they all fall away,” declared Peter, “I will not!”30“Truly I say to you,” replied Jesus, “today, this very night,

before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”31“Even if I have to die with You,” insisted Peter, “I will neverdeny You!” And they all said the same thing.

32 Then they went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesussaid to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33He took Peter,

James, and John with Him, and began to be greatly over-whelmed with distress and anguish. 34“My soul is deeplygrieved,” He told them, “to the point of death. Wait here andstay awake.”

35He went a little further, fell to the ground, and prayed thatif it were possible the hour might pass from Him. 36“Abba,Father,”43 He prayed, “all things are possible for You. Take thiscup away from Me. However, Your will be done, not Mine.”

37 Then He returned and found them sleeping. “Simon,” Hesaid to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not stay awake forone hour? 38Stay awake, and pray that you will not enter intotemptation. Indeed, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

39Again Jesus went away and prayed the same words.40 Then He returned and found them sleeping again, becausetheir eyes were heavy. And they did not know what to say toHim.

41 Then He returned a third time and said to them, “Are youstill sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. Look!

The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Get

up, let us go! Look! My betrayer is coming!”43No sooner had He uttered these words than Judas, one of

the twelve, appeared. With him was a large crowd armed withswords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders. 44Now His betrayer, Judas, promisedto give them a signal. He said, “The One I kiss is the Man youwant. Arrest Him and lead Him away under guard.”

45At once, Judas went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi, Rabbi,”

and kissed Him. 46

Then they grabbed hold of Jesus and ar-43 Abba is the Aramaic word for father. “Father, Father,” Heprayed, “all things are possible for You.”



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rested Him. 47But one of those who were standing there drewtheir sword and struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his

ear.48“Have you come out,” said Jesus, “with swords and clubs

to arrest Me, as if I were some kind of bandit? 49Daily I was inthe temple teaching, and you did not arrest Me. But the Scrip-tures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then all the disciples deserted Himand fled. 51A certain young man had followed Jesus, wearingonly a linen cloth over his bare body. When they tried to grabhim, 52he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.44

53 They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the teachers of the law assembledtogether. 54Peter followed Him at a distance, right into thecourtyard of the high priest, and then sat down with the offi-cers and warmed himself by the fire.

55 The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin were lookingfor false evidence against Jesus, because they wanted Him to

be put to death. However, they could not find any. 56

Althoughmany falsely testified against Him, their testimonies did notline up. 57 Then some men came forward and falsely testifiedagainst Him, saying, 58“We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy thistemple made with human hands, and in three days I will buildanother made without human hands.’” 59But even their testi-monies did not line up.

60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked

Jesus, “Have You no response to the accusations they aremaking against You?” 61But Jesus remained silent and madeno reply. Again the high priest asked Him, “Are You the Christ,the Son of the Blessed One?”

62“I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Mansitting at the right hand of the Almighty and coming on theclouds of heaven.”

63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and exclaimed, “What

44 This young man was most likely John Mark, the author of the Gospel of Mark.



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further evidence do we need? 64You have heard His blasphemy!What do you think?”

And they all condemned Him, saying, “He is guilty of death!”65 Then some began to spit on Him, and they blindfolded

Him and hit Him with their fists, saying, “Prophesy!” And theofficers slapped Him with the palms of their hands.

66As Peter was in the courtyard below, a slave-girl of thehigh priest came by. 67When she saw Peter warming himself,she stared at him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Nazareth.”

68But Peter denied Him, saying, “I do not know or under-stand what you are talking about.” Then he went over to thegateway, and the rooster crowed.

69 The slave-girl saw him again, and began to say to thosestanding there, “This man is one of them.” 70Peter, however,denied Him again.

A little while later those who were standing there said toPeter again, “You must be one of them, for you are a Galilean,

and your accent proves it.”71Denying Him again, Peter swore an oath, saying, “I do notknow the Man you are talking about!” 72And immediately therooster crowed a second time, and Peter remembered thewords that Jesus had said to him: “Before the rooster crowstwice, you will deny Me three times.” As Peter thought about it,he wept.

As soon as it was morning, the chief priests had ameeting with the elders, the teachers of the law, andthe entire Sanhedrin. Then they tied Jesus up, led Him away,and delivered Him to Pilate.

2“Are You the King of the Jews?” asked Pilate.“You are correct,” replied Jesus.3 The chief priests accused Him of many things, but He

made no reply. 4“Have You nothing to say?” said Pilate. “Lookat the charges they are bringing against You.” 5But to Pilate’s

surprise, Jesus made no reply.6Now each Passover Pilate would release one prisoner for

them—any prisoner they wanted. 7A man named Barabbas

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was in prison at that time, with the rebels who had committedmurder during the rebellion. 8So when the people cried out,asking Pilate to release a prisoner for them, 9he said, “Do youwant me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 10For heknew that the chief priests had delivered Jesus over to himbecause they were envious. 11But the chief priests stirred upthe crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas instead. 12“What,then,” asked Pilate, “should I do with the One you call the Kingof the Jews?”

13“Crucify Him!” they cried out.14“Why?” asked Pilate. “What wrong has He done?”“Crucify Him!” they cried out even louder.15So Pilate, wanting to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas

to them. Then he had Jesus whipped, and delivered Him overto be crucified.

16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, thePraetorium), and called together the entire regiment. 17 Theydressed Him in a purple robe, wove a crown of thorns, andplaced it on His head. 18And they began to salute Him, “Hail,King of the Jews!” 19 Then they repeatedly struck Him on thehead with a staff and spit on Him. And they fell on their knees,pretending to pay homage to Him. 20When they had finishedmocking Him, they took the purple robe off Him and dressedHim in His own clothes. Then they led Him away to becrucified.

21Now Simon (the father of Alexander and Rufus), who wasfrom the city of Cyrene, was coming in from the country. As hewas passing by, they forced him to carry His cross. 22And theybrought Him to the place called Golgotha (which is translated,“The Place of the Skull”). 23 They gave Him some wine mixedwith myrrh to drink, but He did not take it. 24When theycrucified Him they divided His clothes, casting lots to see whowould get what. 25It was nine o’clock in the morning when theycrucified Him. 26 The sign of the charges written against Himsaid:

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

27 Two bandits were crucified with Him, one on His right andone on His left. 28 This fulfilled the Scripture that says,



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‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ (Isaiah 53:12)

29 Those passing by insulted Him and shook their heads,saying, “Aha! You who were going to destroy the temple andrebuild it in three days, 30save Yourself and come down fromthe cross!”

31 The chief priests and the teachers of the law also mockedHim, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!32Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down from the crossnow, so that we may see it and believe!” And those who werecrucified with Him also insulted Him.

33At noon, darkness came over the entire land and lasteduntil three in the afternoon. 34At three o’clock Jesus cried outwith a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (which istranslated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”)

35When some of those who were standing there heard this,they said, “He is calling Elijah!”

36

Then one of them ran and soaked a sponge full of vinegar,put it on a stick, and gave it to Him to drink, saying, “LeaveHim alone! Let us see if Elijah will come and take Him down!”

37 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and died. 38And thecurtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39When the officer, who was standing across from Him, sawthe way He cried out and gave up His spirit, he said, “Trulythis Man was the Son of God!”

40

Some women were also watching from a distance. Amongthem were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41When He was in Galilee,they had followed Him and ministered to Him, along withmany other women who had come down to Jerusalem withHim.

42It was Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sab-bath. Since it was late in the afternoon, 43 Joseph of Arimathea,an honourable member of the Sanhedrin, who was waiting forthe kingdom of God, boldly approached Pilate and asked for

Jesus’ body. 44Pilate was shocked to hear that He was alreadydead. So he summoned the officer to find out if he had in fact



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died. 45When Pilate learned the facts from the officer, he gavethe body to Joseph. 46 Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, tookHim down, and wrapped Him in the linen cloth. Then he laidHim in a tomb that was cut out of the rock, and rolled a stoneto the entrance of the tomb. 47And Mary Magdalene, and Marythe mother of Joses, saw where He was laid.

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Marythe mother of James and Salome, bought fragrant spices

to go and anoint His body. 2Very early on the first day of theweek, at sunrise, they came to the tomb. 3 They said to eachother, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of thetomb for us?” 4But when they looked up, they saw that thestone had been rolled away. (It was a very large stone.) 5Asthey entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in along white robe sitting on the right side, and they werestartled.

6“Do not be alarmed,” he said to them. “You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is nothere. See the place where they laid Him. 7Now go, tell His dis-ciples and Peter that He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There

you will see Him, just as He told you.”8Overwhelmed with fear and amazement, they quickly left

the tomb and fled. They said nothing to anyone, because theywere afraid.

9When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, Heappeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast outseven demons. 10She went and told the disciples, who weremourning and weeping. 11When they heard that He was aliveand that she had seen Him, they did not believe her.

12Later, Jesus appeared in another form to two of them asthey were walking in the country. 13So they went back and toldthe rest, but they did not believe them.

14Afterward He appeared to the eleven as they sat at thetable. He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they refused to believe those who had seen Him

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after He had risen. 15“Go into all the world,” He said to them,“and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believesand is baptized45 will be saved, but whoever does not believewill be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany thosewho believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they willspeak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes; and if theydrink any deadly thing, it will not harm them; they will layhands on the sick, and they will recover.”

19After the Lord had spoken to them, He was taken up intoheaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 Then theywent out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked withthem, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.Amen.

45 Romans 6:3-6; Colossians 2:11-12



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Luke

Many have attempted to draw up an account of the eventsthat have been fulfilled among us, 2based on what the orig-

inal eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed down to us.3And since I have carefully investigated everything from thebeginning, I have decided to write an orderly account for you,most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the exactdetails of everything you have been taught.

5In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priestnamed Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. His wife’s name was Elizabeth, and she was a descend-ant of Aaron. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God,walking blamelessly in all the commandments and regulationsof the Lord. 7 They had no children, because Elizabeth was bar-ren, and they were both very old.

8

One day Zechariah was performing his priestly duties be-fore God, because it was his division’s turn to serve in thetemple. 9According to the custom of the priesthood, he waschosen by lot to go into the temple of the Lord to burn incense.10At the hour of the incense offering all the people stood out-side praying. 11Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to him,standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12WhenZechariah saw the angel, he was startled and overwhelmedwith fear. 13But the angel said to him, “Do not fear, Zechariah!

Your prayers have been heard! Your wife Elizabeth will givebirth to a son, and you will call his name John. 14 Joy andgladness will be yours, and many will rejoice at his birth,15because he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He will notdrink wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spiritin his mother’s womb. 16He will turn many of the sons of Israelto the Lord their God. 17And he will go before the Lord in thespirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers totheir children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the right-

eous, to prepare a people who are ready for the Lord.”

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18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this?My wife and I are very old.”

19

The angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the pres-ence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20Now listen! You will be silent and will notbe able to speak until the day these things happen, because

you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in theirtime.” 21Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, won-dering why he was taking so long in the temple. 22When Zech-ariah came out, he was unable to speak to them. They realizedthat he had seen a vision in the temple, because he kept mak-

ing gestures to them and could not talk.23When the days of his priestly service were over, he went

home. 24After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. Shedid not go out in public for five months, saying, 25“The Lordhas done this for me. He has looked upon me with favour andhas removed my disgrace among men.”

26When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the

angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27

to a virginwho was engaged to a man named Joseph, who was a de-scendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angelcame to her and said, “Greetings, highly favoured one! TheLord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” 29Mary waspuzzled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting thismight be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for

you have found favour with God. 31Look! You will become preg-nant and will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name

JESUS. 32

He will be great and will be called the Son of theMost High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of Hisfather David. 33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,and His kingdom will have no end.”

34Mary asked the angel, “How will this be, since I am avirgin?”

35 The angel answered and said to her,

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,

and the power of the Most Highwill overshadow you. Therefore, the One born to you will be holy,

and He will be called the Son of God.



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36Look! Your relative Elizabeth has becomepregnant in her old age.

She who was called barrenis now in her sixth month.37For with God nothing is impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Look, I am the Lord’s slave! May it happento me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

39After this, Mary got up and went quickly to a town in thehill country of Judea. 40When she arrived, she entered Zechar-

iah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41

As soon as Elizabeth heardMary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabethwas filled with the Holy Spirit. 42She called out with a loudvoice and said,

“Blessed are you among women,and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?44

As soon as I heard your greeting, the baby in my wombleaped for joy! 45Blessed is she who has believed, because whatthe Lord has spoken to her will be fulfilled!”

46 Then Mary said:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,47and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,48because He has looked upon

the humble state of His slave.From now on all generations will call me blessed,49for the Almighty has done great things for me,and His name is holy.

50From generation to generationHe shows mercy to those who reverence Him.

51“He has done mighty deeds with His arm.He has scattered the proud

because of the thoughts of their hearts.52He has brought down rulers from their thrones,and has exalted the lowly.



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53He has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich He has sent away empty.

54“He has helped His servant Israel,remembering His mercy,55 just as He promised to our fathers— to Abraham and his descendants forever.”

56And Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, andthen returned to her home.

57

When the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, she had ason. 58Upon hearing this, her neighbours and relatives rejoicedwith her because the Lord had shown her such great mercy.

59On the eighth day they went to circumcise the child. Theywere going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but hismother said, “No! His name will be John.”

61 They said to her, “But no one in your family has thatname.” 62So they motioned to Zechariah, to find out what he

wanted to name the child.63 Then Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “Hisname is John.” And everyone marvelled. 64Immediately Zechar-iah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and hebegan to speak and to praise God.

65Awe fell upon everyone living around them, and news of this spread throughout the hill country of Judea. 66Everyonewho heard this pondered it in their hearts, saying, “What willthis child grow up to be?” And the Lord’s hand was with him.

67And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spiritand prophesied:

68“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,because He has visited and redeemed His people.

69He has raised up a horn of salvation for usin the house of His servant David,70 just as He promised through the mouth

of His holy prophets long ago.71Indeed, He promised that He would save us fromour enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.



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72“He has shown mercy to our fathersand remembered His holy covenant,73

the oath that He swore to our father Abraham.74He promised to rescueus from the hand of our enemies,so that we could serve Him without fear,75in holiness and righteousnessbefore Him all the days of our life.

76“And you, child, will be calleda prophet of the Most High.

For you will go ahead of the Lordto prepare the way for Him,77and to give His people the knowledge of salvationthrough the forgiveness of their sins.

78Because of our God’s tender mercy,a dawning Light from on high will visit us,79to shine on those who sit in darknessand in the shadow of death,to direct our feet into the way of peace.”

80And the child grew up and became strong in spirit, and helived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearanceto Israel.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustusthat a census was to be taken of the entire Roman world.

2 This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor

of Syria. 3

So everyone went to the town of their ancestry to reg-ister. 4Since Joseph was of the house and lineage of David heleft Galilee. He went down from the town of Nazareth to Judea,to the town of David, which is called Bethlehem. 5 Joseph wentthere to register with Mary, who was engaged to him, and whowas soon expecting a child. 6While they were there, the timecame for her to give birth. 7And she gave birth to her firstbornSon, and wrapped Him up and laid Him in a manger, becausethere was no room for them in the inn.

8Now there were shepherds nearby in the fields, keepingwatch over their flocks at night. 9Suddenly an angel of the Lordappeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around

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them, and they were struck with terror. 10But the angel said tothem, “Do not be afraid! Look! I bring you good tidings of great

joy for all people. 11

For there is born to you this day a Saviour,who is Christ the Lord, in the town of David. 12 This will be asign to you: you will find a baby wrapped up and lying in amanger.” 13Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast army fromheaven, praising God and saying,

14“Glory to God in the highest,peace on earth, and good will towards men!”

15

When the angels returned to heaven, the shepherds saidto one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this wonderfulthing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and theBaby lying in a manger. 17When they saw the Child, they toldeveryone what the angel had said about Him. 18Everyone mar-velled when they heard what the shepherds said. 19But Marytreasured all these things in her heart and pondered them.20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for

everything they had seen and heard. For everything happed just as the angel had told them.

21Eight days after His birth, the Child was circumcised. Andthey called His name JESUS, the name the angel had given toHim before His mother became pregnant.

22And when the days of her purification were completed,according to the Law of Moses, they took Him to Jerusalem to

present Him to the Lord. 23

Just as it is written in the Law of the Lord,

“Every firstborn malewill be called holy to the Lord.”(Exodus 13:2)

24 They also offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in theLaw of the Lord:

“A pair of turtledovesor two young pigeons.”(Leviticus 12:6, 8)



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25Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, whowas a righteous and God-fearing man. He was eagerly expect-

ing the One who would comfort Israel, and the Holy Spirit wasupon him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit thathe would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27Led bythe Spirit, Simeon went to the temple. When they brought Jesusto the temple to do what was required by the Law, 28Simeontook Him in his arms and praised God, saying,

29“Now, Lord, let Your slave die in peace,according to Your promise.

30

For my eyes have seen Your Salvation,31which You have prepared for all people to see— 32a light for revelation to the Gentiles,and glory for Your people Israel.”

33 Joseph and Mary marvelled at what was being said aboutHim. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to His motherMary,

“Look! This Child is destined to causethe fall and rise of many in Israel.He will be a sign that many will oppose,

35and in the process the thoughts of manyhearts will be revealed.

Indeed, a sword will pierce your own soul as well.”

36 There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old. She had been

married for seven years, 37

but then her husband died and sheremained a widow; she was eighty-four years old. She neverleft the temple, but served God day and night with fasting andprayer. 38At that very moment, she came up to them and be-gan to give thanks to the Lord and to speak about the Child toall who were eagerly expecting the redemption of Jerusalem.

39After they had completed everything according to the Lawof the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of

Nazareth.



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40And the Child grew and became strong in spirit. He wasfull of wisdom, and God’s grace was upon Him.

41Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Pass-over Feast. 42When He was twelve years old, they went down to

Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43When thedays of the feast were over, His parents headed back. Mean-while, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joseph andMary, however, were unaware of it. 44 They travelled for a wholeday, supposing that Jesus was with those who were travellingwith them. Then they began to look for Him among their rela-

tives and friends. 45

But when they did not find Him, they wentback to Jerusalem to look for Him. 46After three days theyfound Him in the temple. He was sitting among the teachers,listening to them and asking them questions. 47And all whoheard Him were amazed at His insight and answers. 48WhenHis parents saw Him, they were astonished. His mother said toHim, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your fatherand I have been anxiously searching for You!”

49He said to them, “Why were you searching for Me? Did you

not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50

Butthey did not understand what He was talking about.

51 Then He went back with them to Nazareth, and lived inobedience to them. But His mother kept all these matters inher heart. 52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, andin favour with God and man.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, whenPontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod Antipaswas ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip was ruler of Itureaand Trachonitis, and Lysanias was ruler of Abilene, 2andAnnas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God cameto John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3And he wentthroughout the region of the Jordan River, preaching a bap-tism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4As it is writtenin the book of Isaiah the prophet:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

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make straight paths for Him!5Every valley will be filled in,

and every mountain and hill will be levelled. The crooked roads will be made straight,

and the rough ways will be made smooth,6and all flesh will see the salvation of God.’”(Isaiah 40:3-5)

7 John said to the crowds who came out to be baptized byhim, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from thecoming wrath? 8Produce fruit that shows that you have trulyrepented. Do not think that you can say to yourselves, ‘Wehave Abraham as our father!’ For I tell you that from thesestones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9Even now theaxe is ready to strike the root of the trees. Any tree that doesnot produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into thefire.”

10 The crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?”11 John answered them, “Whoever has two coats should give

one to someone who has none, and whoever has food shoulddo the same.”12Some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked

him, “Teacher, what should we do?”13 John replied, “Collect no more than what you are sup-

posed to collect.”14Some soldiers also asked him, “What should we do?”

John answered, “Be satisfied with your pay, and never useintimidation or blackmail to extort money.”

15Since the people were expecting the Messiah to come soon,they were all wondering in their hearts if John was perhapsthe Messiah. 16But John said to them all, “I baptize you withwater, but there is One coming who is far more superior thanI, and I am not even worthy to untie His sandals. He will bap-tize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork isin His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor. He willgather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn the chaff withunquenchable fire.”

18With many other encouraging words John preached thegood news to the people.



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19But when John rebuked Herod Antipas, the ruler of Gal-ilee, because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all

the other evil things he had done, 20

Herod added yet anothersin to everything else: he locked John up in prison.

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was alsobaptized. And as He was praying, the heavens opened, 22andthe Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove.

Then a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, withwhom I am well pleased.”

23

When Jesus began His ministry He was about thirty yearsold. It was supposed that He was the son of Joseph.

Now Joseph was the son of Heli,24Heli was the son of Matthat,Matthat was the son of Levi,Levi was the son of Melchi,Melchi was the son of Jannai,

Jannai was the son of Joseph,25

Joseph was the son of Mattathias,Mattathias was the son of Amos,Amos was the son of Nahum,Nahum was the son of Esli,Esli was the son of Naggai,26Naggai was the son of Maath,Maath was the son of Mattathias,Mattathias was the son of Semein,Semein was the son of Josech,

Josech was the son of Joda,27 Joda was the son of Joanan, Joanan was the son of Rhesa,Rhesa was the son of Zerubbabel,Zerubbabel was the son of Shealtiel,Shealtiel was the son of Neri,28Neri was the son of Melchi,Melchi was the son of Addi,Addi was the son of Cosam,

Cosam was the son of Elmadam,Elmadam was the son of Er,29Er was the son of Joshua,

Joshua was the son of Eliezer,



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Eliezer was the son of Jorim, Jorim was the son of Matthat,

Matthat was the son of Levi,30Levi was the son of Simeon,Simeon was the son of Judah,

Judah was the son of Joseph, Joseph was the son of Jonam, Jonam was the son of Eliakim,31Eliakim was the son of Melea,Melea was the son of Menna,Menna was the son of Mattatha,

Mattatha was the son of Nathan,Nathan was the son of David,32David was the son of Jesse,

Jesse was the son of Obed,Obed was the son of Boaz,Boaz was the son of Salmon,Salmon was the son of Nahshon,33Nahshon was the son of Amminadab,Amminadab was the son of Admin,

Admin was the son of Arni,Arni was the son of Hezron,Hezron was the son of Perez,Perez was the son of Judah,34 Judah was the son of Jacob,

Jacob was the son of Isaac,Isaac was the son of Abraham,Abraham was the son of Terah,

Terah was the son of Nahor,35

Nahor was the son of Serug,Serug was the son of Reu,Reu was the son of Peleg,Peleg was the son of Eber,Eber was the son of Shelah,36Shelah was the son of Cainan,Cainan was the son of Arphaxad,Arphaxad was the son of Shem,Shem was the son of Noah,

Noah was the son of Lamech,37Lamech was the son of Methuselah,Methuselah was the son of Enoch,Enoch was the son of Jared,



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Jared was the son of Mahalaleel,Mahalaleel was the son of Cainan,38

Cainan was the son of Enos,Enos was the son of Seth,Seth was the son of Adam,Adam was the son of God.

Then Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. He atenothing during those days, and when they were over He washungry. 3 Then the devil said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

4But Jesus answered and said, “It is written:

‘Man does not live on bread alone,but on every word of God.’”(Deuteronomy 8:3)

5Next the devil took Him to a high mountain and showedHim all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. 6 The devilsaid to Him, “I will give You all their power and glory. For ithas all been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want.7 Therefore, if You will worship me, all this will be Yours.”

8 Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, satan!For it is written:

‘You must worship the Lord your Godand serve Him only.’”

(Deuteronomy 6:13)

9 Then the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and set Him on thepinnacle of the temple. He said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, jump off of here! 10For it is written:

‘He has put His angels in charge of you,to protect you.

11And they will lift you up with their hands,

so that you will not dash your footagainst a stone.’”(Psalm 91:11-12)

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12 Jesus answered and said to him, “It says:

‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”(Deuteronomy 6:16)

13After the devil had tempted Jesus in every way, he left Himuntil another opportunity arose.

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, andHis fame spread throughout the countryside. 15He taught intheir synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 Jesus went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.As was His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sab-bath day. When He stood up to read, 17the scroll of Isaiah theprophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and foundthe place where it was written:

18“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,because He has anointed Meto preach the gospel to the poor.

He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted,to preach freedom to the captives,and recovery of sight to the blind,to set the oppressed free,19and to proclaim the yearof the Lord’s favour.”(Isaiah 61:1-2, 58:6)

20 Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant,and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue werefixed on Him. 21And He said to them, “Today this Scripture hasbeen fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 They were all impressed withHim, and marvelled at the gracious words that came from Hismouth.

They said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”23He said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me,

‘Physician, heal Yourself!’ You will say, ‘We have heard of allthat You did in Capernaum, now do these things here in Yourhometown as well.’” 24He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophetis accepted in his hometown. 25I assure you of this: there weremany widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was



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shut up for three and a half years and there was a greatfamine over all the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of

them except to a widow in the town of Zarephath in Sidon.46

27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha theprophet, yet none of them was cleansed except Naaman theSyrian.”47

28Everyone in the synagogue was filled with anger whenthey heard this. 29So they got up and drove Him out of town.

They took Him to the top of the hill on which the town wasbuilt, intending to throw Him over the edge. 30But He passed

through the midst of them and went on His way.31 Then He went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught

them on the Sabbath. 32 The people were amazed at His teach-ing, because He spoke with authority.

33In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean de-monic spirit, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34saying,“Leave us alone! What do You want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the HolyOne of God!”35But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out

of him!” The demon threw the man down in front of them, andcame out of him without injuring him.

36Everyone was amazed and said to one another, “What isthis doctrine? For with authority and power He gives com-mands to unclean spirits and they come out!” 37And His famespread throughout the countryside.

38After Jesus left the synagogue, He went to Simon’s house.Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, andthey begged Jesus to help her. 39So He stood over her andrebuked the fever, it left her, and immediately she got up andbegan to serve them.

40When the sun went down, the people brought to Him allwho had various diseases. And He laid His hands on every one

of them and healed them. 41

Demons also came out of many,46 1 Kings 17:8-2447 2 Kings 5:1-15



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crying out, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” But He re-buked them and would not allow them to speak, because they

knew that He was the Christ.42At daybreak, Jesus left and went to a solitary place. The

crowds went looking for Him. And when they found Him, theytried to keep Him from leaving them. 43But He said to them, “Imust proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the othertowns as well, for this is why I was sent.” 44And He preached inthe synagogues of Galilee.

One day, as Jesus was standing by the Sea of Gennesaret,the crowds pressed in on Him to hear the word of God. 2He

saw two boats on the shore. The fishermen had gotten out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 Jesus got into one of theboats—Simon’s boat—and asked him to take it out a littleways from the shore. Then He sat down and taught the crowdsfrom the boat.

4

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Takethe boat into deeper water and let down your nets for a catch.”5Simon said to Him, “Master, we have worked all night long

and have caught nothing. But if You say so, I will let down thenets.”

6When they did this, they caught so many fish that theirnets began to tear. 7So they signalled to their partners in theother boat to come and help them, and they came and filledboth boats so full that they were on the verge of sinking.

8

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees andsaid, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” 9For SimonPeter and the others were greatly astonished at the number of fish they had caught, 10as were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid! From now on you will catch men!” 11And when they brought their boats toshore, they left everything and followed Jesus.

12

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man covered withleprosy saw Him and fell facedown, begging Him, “Lord, if Youare willing, You can make me clean.”

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13 Then Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying,“I am willing, be cleansed!” And instantly the leprosy departed

from him.14 Then Jesus gave him strict orders, “Do not tell anyone. Butgo and show yourself to the priest, and offer the sacrifice thatMoses prescribed for your cleansing as a testimony to them.”15But His fame spread even more, and large crowds came tohear Him and to be healed of their diseases. 16However, Heoften withdrew to solitary places to pray.

17One day, while Jesus was teaching, some of the Phariseesand teachers of the law sat down to listen to Him. They hadcome from every town in Galilee and Judea, and from Jeru-salem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal. 18 Justthen some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. Theytried to bring the man into the house to lay him before Jesus,19but found it impossible because of the crowd. So they wentup on the roof and lowered him through the roof tiles, placinghim, mat and all, into the middle of the crowd, right in front of

Jesus. 20When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man,“Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law said withinthemselves, “Who is this Man who speaks blasphemy? Whocan forgive sins but God alone?”

22But Jesus knew their thoughts and said, “Why are youthinking these things in your hearts? 23 Tell Me, is it easier tosay, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24Butto let you know that the Son of Man has authority on earth toforgive sins,” He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, ‘Getup, pick up your mat, and go home.’” 25Immediately the man

stood up in front of them, picked up his mat, and went homeglorifying God. 26And they all marvelled and glorified God inreverence, saying, “We have seen wonderful things today!”

27After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector namedLevi sitting at the tax booth. And Jesus said to him, “FollowMe!” 28So Levi left everything, got up, and followed Him.

29 Then Levi hosted a large banquet at his home in honour of

Jesus, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and otherssitting at the table with them. 30 The teachers of the law andthe Pharisees began complaining to His disciples, saying, “Why



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are you eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?”31 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are healthy

do not need a doctor, but only those who are sick. 32

I have notcome to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

33 They said to Him, “John’s disciples often fast and pray,and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same, but Your dis-ciples are always eating and drinking.”

34 Jesus replied, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fastwhile he is with them? 35But the time will come when thebridegroom will be taken from them, and then they will fast.”

36 Then Jesus told them this parable: “Nobody tears a patchfrom a new garment and sews it on an old garment. If they did,the new garment would be ruined, and the new patch wouldnot match the old garment. 37Nobody pours new wine into oldwineskins. If they did, the new wine would swell and burst theold wineskins. Then the wine would pour out, and the wine-skins would be ruined. 38Instead, new wine must be put intonew wineskins, and both are preserved. 39And nobody wants

new wine after drinking old wine, because he says, ‘The oldwine is better.’”

One Sabbath, as Jesus was walking through the grainfields, His disciples started picking the heads of grain—

rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2Some of thePharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is unlawfulto do on the Sabbath?”

3

But Jesus responded, “Have you not read what David didwhen he and his men were hungry? 4How David went into thehouse of God and took the consecrated bread and ate it, whichwas not lawful for anyone but the priests to eat, and then gavesome to his men as well?” 5 Then He said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

6On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and beganteaching. A man was there whose right hand was paralyzed.7

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees watched Himclosely to see if He would heal the man on the Sabbath, so thatthey could accuse Him of something. 8But Jesus knew their

6



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thoughts, and said to the man with the paralyzed hand, “Getup and stand in the middle of the synagogue.” So the man got

up and stood there. 9

Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is itlawful to do good, or to do evil on the Sabbath? To save life, orto destroy it?” 10 Jesus looked around at all of them, and saidto the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So the man stretched outhis hand, and it was completely healed—just as good as hisother hand. 11But they were filled with rage and began to dis-cuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

12One day He went up on the hillside to pray, and He spent

all night praying to God. 13

The next morning, He called His dis-ciples and chose twelve of them, whom He also called apostles:

14Simon, (whom Jesus called Peter),Andrew (the brother of Peter),

James, John,Philip,Bartholomew (also called Nathanael),15

Matthew (also called Levi), Thomas (also called Didymus—“the twin”), James (the son of Alphaeus),Simon (the Zealot),16 Judas Lebbaeus (also called Thaddaeus;the son of James),

Judas Iscariot (who betrayed Him).

17 Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a piece of

level ground. A large number of His disciples were there, aswell as many people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and thecoastal cities of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear Himand to be healed of their diseases. 18 Those who were tormentedby unclean spirits were healed, 19and all the people tried totouch Him, because power was going out from Him and heal-ing everybody.

20 Jesus lifted up His eyes to His disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,for the kingdom of God is yours.



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21“Blessed are you who are hungry now,for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now,for you will laugh.

22“Blessed are you when men hate you,when they exclude you, insult you,and slander your name as evilbecause of the Son of Man.

23

“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because your rewardin heaven is great! For that is how their fathers treated theprophets.

24“But woe to you who are rich,for you have received your comfort!

25“Woe to you who are full now,for you will be hungry!

“Woe to you who laugh now,for you will mourn and weep!

26“Woe to you when all men speak well of you,for that is how their fatherstreated the false prophets.

27“But I say to you who are listening:

“Love your enemies,and do good to those who hate you.

28“Bless those who curse you,and pray for those who mistreat you.

29“If someone slaps you on the cheek,turn the other to him as well.

And if someone takes your coat,let him have your shirt as well.



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30“Give to everyone who asks you,and when someone takes what is yours,

do not ask for it back.31“Treat others as you would like them to treat you. 32If you

love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For evensinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to thosewho do good to you, what credit is that to you? For evensinners do the same. 34And if you lend only to those who canrepay you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend tosinners and expect to be repaid in full. 35But love your

enemies, do good, and lend without expecting anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of theMost High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and thewicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not con-demn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will beforgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you—a full measure,pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be

poured into your lap. For whatever measure you deal out, thesame will be dealt out to you.”

39 Jesus also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead theblind? Will they not both fall into a ditch? 40A disciple is notabove his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be likehis teacher. 41Why do you look at the sliver in your brother’seye, but do not notice the beam in your own eye? 42How can

you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the sliver out of

your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the beam in your owneye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye,and then you will see clearly to take out the sliver in yourbrother’s eye.

43“A good tree does not produce bad fruit, and a bad treedoes not produce good fruit. 44Each tree is known by its fruit.You do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers.45A good man, out of the good treasure of his heart, brings out

good things. But an evil man, out of the evil treasure of hisheart, brings out evil things. For out of the abundance of theheart the mouth speaks.



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46“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what Isay? 47Everyone who comes to Me and listens to My words,

and does them—I will show you what he is like: 48

he is like aman who built a house; he dug down deep and laid the foun-dation on the rock. When the floodwaters came, and the risingwaters beat against the house, it could not be shaken, becauseits foundation was on the rock. 49But the man who hears Mywords and does not do them is like a man who built his houseon the ground without a foundation. The rising waters beatagainst it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great!”

After Jesus had finished saying all these words in the hear-ing of the people, He returned to Capernaum. 2A Roman

officer there had a slave he valued highly, who was sick andabout to die. 3When the officer heard about Jesus, he sentsome Jewish elders to ask Him to come and heal his slave.4When they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying,“This man deserves Your help, 5because he loves our nation

and has built us a synagogue.” 6

Then Jesus went with them.As He neared the house, the officer sent some friends to sayto Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself! For I am not worthy tohave You come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not come toYou myself. But just say the word, and my slave will be healed.8For I am a man under the authority of others, with soldiersunder me. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell anothersoldier, ‘Come,’ and he comes. And I say to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

9

When Jesus heard this He marvelled. And He turned to thecrowd that was following Him and said, “I say to you, I havenot found anyone in Israel with such great faith!” 10Whenthose who had been sent returned to the house, they found theslave completely healed.

11A little later Jesus went to a town called Nain, and manyof His disciples and a large crowd went with Him. 12As Heneared the town gate, a dead man was being carried out—theonly son of his mother, who was a widow. And a large crowdfrom the town was with her. 13When the Lord saw her, He hadcompassion on her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then

Jesus came up and touched the coffin, and those who were

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carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, getup!” 15 Then the dead man sat up and began to speak, and

Jesus gave him to his mother.16Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A

great prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited Hispeople.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judeaand the surrounding countryside.

18 John’s disciples reported all these things to him. 19So Johncalled two of his disciples, and sent them to ask Jesus, “AreYou the One who is coming, or should we expect someone else?”

20When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptistsent us to ask You, ‘Are You the One who is coming, or shouldwe expect someone else?’”

21And in that very hour Jesus healed many of their dis-eases, plagues, and evil spirits, and He restored the sight of many who were blind. 22So Jesus answered and said to them,“Go and tell John what you see and hear: the blind receivetheir sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor hear the good news.23Blessed is the man who is not offended by Me.”

24After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to thecrowds about John: “What did you go out into the wildernessto see? A reed shaken by the wind? 25No? Then what did yougo out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those whowear fine clothes and live in luxury are in palaces. 26Well,then, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you,and more than a prophet! 27He is the one about whom it iswritten:

‘Look! I will send My messenger ahead of You,who will prepare Your way before You.’ (Malachi 3:1)

28I say to you, among those born of women there is not agreater prophet than John the Baptist! Yet he who is least inthe kingdom of God is greater than he!”





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other $4,000.48 42Since they could not pay it back, he forgaveboth their debts. Now which of them will love him more?”

43

Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one who had thegreater debt forgiven.” Jesus said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

44 Then Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your home, and you gave Meno water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with hertears and wiped them dry with her hair. 45You did not welcomeMe with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing My feet since I

came in. 46

You did not anoint My head with olive oil, but thiswoman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much.But whoever is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then Jesus said tothe woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49And those who were sitting at the table with Him began tosay to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50But He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Goin peace.”

Afterward, He travelled from one town and village to an-other, proclaiming and announcing the good news of the

kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2as well as somewomen who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary,called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had been castout; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Herod’s household manager);Susanna; and many others who helped support Him from their

possessions.4 The people came to Him from every town, and a large

crowd had gathered, and He spoke to them in parables: 5“Asower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of theseeds fell on the pathway; they were trampled on, and the

48 “A creditor had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii,and the other fifty.” A denarius was a day’s wages. In Canada

where I am from, minimum wage is $10(CAD) an hour. $10×8hours=$80. So a day’s wages where I am from is $80(CAD).500×80=$40,000. So five hundred denarii is $40,000(CAD).50×80=$4,000. So fifty denarii is $4,000(CAD).

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birds of the air came and ate them up. 6Some of the seeds fellon rocky ground; when the plants sprouted, they withered up

because they lacked moisture. 7

Some of the seeds fell amongthe thorns; the thorns grew up with them, and choked theplants. 8But some of the seeds fell on good soil; they sprangup, and produced a crop of a hundredfold.” As He said this, Hecried out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!”

9His disciples asked Him, “What does this parable mean?”10He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of

God has been given to you. But to the rest I speak in parables,

so that,

‘They may look but not see,and hear but not understand.’ (Isaiah 6:9)

11“Now this is the meaning of the parable: the seed is theword of God. 12 The seeds that fell on the pathway are thosewho hear the word, but then the devil comes and takes awaythe word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and besaved. 13 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are those who

joyfully receive the word when they hear it, but they have noroot. They believe for a while, but when their faith is testedthey fall away. 14 The seeds that fell among the thorns are thosewho hear the word, but as they go on their way they arechoked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and theirfruit does not mature. 15But the seeds that fell on good groundare those who hear the word and hold fast to it with an honestand good heart, producing a crop with perseverance.

16“Nobody lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or a bed.Instead, they put it on a lamp stand, so that those who comein can see its light. 17Whatever is hidden will be revealed, andwhatever is secret will be made known and brought to light.18So be careful how you listen. For whoever has, to him will begiven more. And whoever does not have, even what he thinkshe has will be taken away from him.”

19His mother and brothers came to see Him, but they wereunable to reach Him because of the crowd. 20Someone told



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Him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, andthey want to see You.”

21

But He replied, “My mother and brothers are those whohear the word of God and do it.”

22One day Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and Hesaid to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the sea.” Sothey set off, 23and as they were sailing He fell asleep. Gale-force winds swept down on the sea, and the boat was swampedby waves, and they were in danger.

24So His disciples went and woke Him up, exclaiming,“Master, Master, we are going to die!”

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the ragingwater, and everything stopped and became calm. 25 Then Hesaid to them, “Where is your faith?”

Frightened and amazed, they said to one another, “Whatkind of Man is this? He commands even the wind and thewater, and they obey Him!”

26 Then they landed in the region of the Gerasenes, which isacross the sea from Galilee. 27As Jesus stepped ashore, a

demon-possessed man from the city met Him. For a long timehe had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house butamong the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down beforeHim and cried out with a loud voice, “What do You want withme, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not tor-ment me!” 29He said this, because Jesus had commanded theunclean spirit to come out of him. It had seized him manytimes. And even though he had been kept under guard, chain-ed hand and foot, he would break the chains. And the demons

would drive him into the wilderness.30So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”He answered, “Legion,” because many demons had entered

him. 31 Then the demons begged Him not to command them togo into the bottomless pit.

32Now a large herd of pigs were feeding on the hillside. Sothe demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter the pigs. AndHe allowed them. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and

entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bankinto the sea and drowned.



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34When the herdsmen saw this, they ran off and reportedeverything in the city and the countryside. 35So the people

went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesusand found the man from whom the demons had been cast outsitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, they wereafraid. 36And those who had seen what happened told themhow the demon-possessed man had been healed.

37 Then all the people from the surrounding region of theGerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were ter-ribly afraid. So He got into the boat and left. 38Now the man

from whom the demons had been cast out begged Jesus to lethim go with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Gohome and tell everyone what God has done for you.” And theman went off, proclaiming throughout the whole city all that

Jesus had done for him.

40When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed Him, becausethey were all expecting Him. 41 Just then a man named Jairus,a leader of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. He beg-

ged Jesus to come to his house 42

because his only daughter,who was about twelve years old, was dying.

As Jesus went, the crowds pressed against Him. 43A womanwas there who had suffered from internal bleeding for twelve

years. She had spent all that she had on doctors, but no onewas able to heal her. 44She came up behind Him and touchedthe hem of His garment, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

45 Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When everyone denied it, Peter and the rest of the disciplessaid, “Master, the crowds are pushing and pressing againstYou, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

46But Jesus said, “Someone touched Me, because I felt pow-er go out from Me.”

47When the woman realized that she could not hide, shecame trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched Him andhow she had been instantly healed.

48

Then He said to her, “Cheer up, daughter! Your faith hashealed you. Go in peace.”



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49While He was still speaking, someone came from the syn-agogue leader’s house, saying, “Your daughter has died. Do

not trouble the Teacher.”50But when Jesus heard this, He said to Jairus, “Do not fear! Just believe, and she will be healed.” 51When Jesus arrived athis house, He did not let anyone go in with Him except Peter,

James, and John, and the girl’s father and mother. 52Everyonewas weeping and mourning for her, but Jesus said, “Stopweeping! She is not dead. She is only sleeping.” 53But theymocked Him with laughter, because they knew that she wasdead. 54But He removed them all, took her by the hand, and

called out, “Girl, get up!” 55

Her spirit returned, and she got upat once. Then He told them to give her something to eat. 56Herparents were amazed, but He gave them strict orders not to tellanyone what had happened.

Jesus called together His twelve disciples and gave thempower and authority to cast out all demons and to heal

diseases. 2 Then He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of

God and to heal the sick. 3

He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey—no walking stick, no bag, no bread, no money,or extra clothes. 4Whatever house you enter, stay there until

you leave that place. 5If that town does not welcome you, leavethere and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony againstthem.” 6 Then they departed and travelled through the towns,proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

7Now Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about every-

thing that was happening. He was puzzled, because some weresaying that John had been raised from the dead, 8while otherswere saying that Elijah had appeared, and still others that oneof the prophets of old had risen. 9Herod said, “I beheaded

John, but who is this I hear so much about?” So Herod wantedto see Him.

10When the apostles returned, they told Him everything theyhad done. Then He took them along, and withdrew privately toa solitary place near the town of Bethsaida. 11When the crowdsheard this, they followed Him. He welcomed them and spoke tothem about the kingdom of God, and healed those who neededhealing.

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12As the day was drawing to a close, the disciples came toHim and said, “Dismiss the crowds, so they can go into the

surrounding towns and countryside to find food and lodging,because we are in a solitary place.”13But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

They answered, “All we have is five loaves and two fish— unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

14Since there were about five thousand men, Jesus said toHis disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of fifty.” 15So theymade all the people sit down. 16 Then He took the five loavesand the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks. Then

He broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to handout to the crowd. 17 The people ate and were all satisfied. Andthe disciples picked up the left over pieces, filling up twelvebaskets.

18Once when Jesus withdrew with His disciples to a privateplace to pray, He asked them, “Who do the crowds say that Iam?”

19 They answered and said, “Some say John the Baptist, some

say Elijah, and others say that one of the prophets of old hasrisen.”20 Then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ sent from

God.”21 Then He gave them strict orders not to tell this to anyone,

22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and berejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of thelaw, and be killed, and be raised on the third day.”

23 Then He said to all of them, “If anyone desires to comeafter Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily andfollow Me. 24Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, butwhoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25For what will itprofit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeitshis soul? 26Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Sonof Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His gloryand in the glory of His Father and the holy angels. 27 Truly I say

to you, some who are standing here will not taste death untilthey see the kingdom of God.”



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28About eight days after Jesus had said these things Hetook Peter, John, and James with Him, and went up on a

mountain to pray. 29

As He was praying, the appearance of Hisface changed, and His clothing became bright white. 30Sud-denly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Him.31 They appeared in glory, discussing His death, which He wasgoing to fulfill in Jerusalem. 32Now Peter and the others weresound asleep, but when they woke up they saw His glory andthe two men standing with Him. 33As Moses and Elijah wereleaving, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, how wonderful it is for usto be here! We will make three shelters—one for You, one for

Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter did not know what he wassaying. 34But as he was saying this, a cloud came and sur-rounded them, and as they entered the cloud they became ter-rified. 35 Then a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is Mybeloved Son, listen to Him!” 36After the voice had spoken,

Jesus was found alone. They kept silent in those days and toldno one what they had seen.

37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a

large crowd met Him. 38

Suddenly a man from the crowd criedout, saying, “Teacher! I beg You to look at my son, because heis my only child! 39A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly criesout. It throws him into convulsions, and he foams at themouth. It severely batters him, and rarely leaves him alone. 40Ibegged Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do it.”

41 Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and pervertedgeneration! How much longer must I be with you and put upwith you? Bring your son here.” 42As the boy was coming near,

the demon knocked him down and threw him into convulsions.But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, andgave him back to his father. 43And all the people were amazedat the mighty power of God.

But while everyone was marvelling at everything He wasdoing, Jesus said to His disciples, 44“Let these words sink into

your ears: the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into thehands of men.” 45But they had no idea what He was talkingabout, because it was hidden from them. They did not under-

stand it, and they were afraid to ask Him about it.46An argument broke out among the disciples as to who was

the greatest. 47But Jesus, knowing the thoughts of their hearts,



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took a little child and put him beside Him. 48 Then He said tothem, “Whoever welcomes this little child in My name wel-

comes Me. And whoever welcomes Me, welcomes Him who sentMe. The one who is least among all of you—he is the greatest.”49 John said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons

in Your name. We tried to stop him, because he was not one of us.”

50 Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for whoever is notagainst us is for us.”

51As the time drew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven,

He was determined to go to Jerusalem. 52

He sent some mes-sengers ahead of Him, and they went into a Samaritan villageto get things ready for Him. 53But the people there did not wel-come Him, because He was on His way to Jerusalem. 54WhenHis disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, doYou want us to call fire down from heaven to consume themlike Elijah did?”49 55But He turned and rebuked them, saying,“You do not know what kind of spirit you are of. 56For the Sonof Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”

And they went to another village.57As they were walking along the road, someone said to

Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds of the

air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay Hishead.”

59 Jesus said to another man, “Follow Me!”But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my

father.”60But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead.But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”50

61Another man said, “I will follow You, Lord, but first let mesay good-bye to those in my house.”

62But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to theplough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

49 2 Kings 1:9-1550 But Jesus said to him, “Let the spiritually dead bury theirown dead. But you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”



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After this, the Lord appointed seventy others. He sentthem two by two ahead of Him into every town and

place where He was intending to go. 2

He said to them, “Trulythe harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore,petition the Lord of the harvest to send out workers to gatherin His harvest. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs amongwolves. 4Do not take along a moneybag, a traveller’s bag, orsandals, and do not greet anyone along the way.

5“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace be on thishouse.’ 6If a man of peace lives there, your greeting of peace

will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7

Do notmove from house to house, but remain in the same house. Andeat and drink whatever they offer you, for a worker is worthy of his wages.

8“If you enter a town and they welcome you, eat what is setbefore you, 9heal the sick that are there, and tell them, ‘Thekingdom of God is near you.’ 10But if you enter a town andthey do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say,11

‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you! Nevertheless know this: the kingdom of God isnear you!’ 12I say to you, it will be better on the day of judg-ment for Sodom than for that town.

13“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mir-acles that were performed in you had been performed in thecities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago,sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14It will be better at the judg-

ment for the cities of Tyre and Sidon than for you! 15

And you,Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will bethrown down to hell!

16“Whoever listens to you listens to Me. Whoever rejects yourejects Me. And whoever rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even thedemons submit to us in Your name.”

18

Jesus said to them, “I saw satan falling like lightning fromheaven. 19Look! I have given you the authority to tread onsnakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, andnothing will ever harm you. 20However, do not rejoice because

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30 Jesus answered and said, “A man was going up from Jeru-salem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of bandits. They

stripped him, beat him, and went off, leaving him half dead.31A priest happened to be travelling along the same road, butwhen he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.32Likewise, a Levite came to that spot, but when he saw theman, he also passed by on the other side.

33“But a Samaritan, who was travelling along the road,came across him, and when he saw the man, he was filled withcompassion. 34He went over to him, poured olive oil and wine

on his wounds, and bandaged them. Then he put the man onhis own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.35 The next day when he departed, he took out $160 and gave itto the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him. If you spend moremoney on him, I will pay you back when I return.’ 51 36Nowwhich one of these three men do you think was a neighbour tothe man who was attacked by bandits?”

37 The expert in the law answered, “The one who had mercyon him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”38As Jesus travelled along, He entered a town, and a woman

named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39She had a sis-ter named Mary, who was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to Histeaching. 40But Martha was distracted by all that she had todo, and came and asked Him, “Lord, do You not care that mysister has left me to do all the work alone? Please tell her tohelp me.”

41

But Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, 42but onlyone thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is best, and it willnot be taken away from her.”

51 “The next day when he departed, he took out two denariiand gave them to the innkeeper.” A denarius was a day’s

wages. In Canada where I am from, minimum wage is $10(CAD)an hour. $10×8hours=$80. So a day’s wages where I am fromis $80(CAD). 80×2=$160. So two denarii is worth about$160(CAD).



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One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When Hefinished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach

us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”2 Jesus said to them, “Whenever you pray, say this:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,may Your name be honoured always.

May Your kingdom come,may Your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.

3Give us each day our daily bread,4and forgive us our sins,as we forgive everyone who sins against us.

Do not let us fall into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.’”

5 Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend,and you go to him in the middle of the night and say, ‘Friend,lend me three loaves of bread. 6A friend of mine who is on a

journey has arrived, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7And

suppose your friend answers from inside, ‘Do not bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. Icannot get up and give you anything.’ 8I assure you, eventhough he will not get up and give you anything because youare his friend, yet because of your persistence he will get upand give you whatever you need.

9“So I say to you: ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.10Whoever asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. Whoeverknocks, the door will be opened.

11“What father among you, if his son asks for bread, willgive him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snakeinstead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to yourchildren, how much more will your heavenly Father give theHoly Spirit to those who ask Him!”

14 Jesus was casting out a demon that was mute. When thedemon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the

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crowds marvelled. 15But some of them said, “He casts out de-mons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons!”52 16And others tried

to trap Him by asking Him for a sign from heaven.17But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Everykingdom divided against itself will be destroyed, and a house-hold divided against itself will fall. 18If satan is divided againsthimself, how will his kingdom stand? I say this, because youclaim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19So if I cast outdemons by Beelzebul, by whom do your disciples cast themout? Indeed, let them be your judges. 20But if I cast out de-mons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come

to you.21“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his

possessions are secure. 22But when someone stronger attacksand overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which theman trusted in, and divides up his plunder. 23Whoever is notwith Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Mescatters.

24“When an unclean spirit leaves a man, it wanders throughdry places seeking rest, but does not find any. Then it says, ‘Iwill return to the house I left.’ 25And when it arrives, it findsthe house swept and decorated. 26 Then it goes and takes alongwith it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they goin and make their home there. Therefore the man is worse off in the end than he was in the beginning.”

27As Jesus was saying this, a woman from the crowd raisedher voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that gavebirth to You, and the breasts that nursed You!”

28But He replied, “On the contrary, blessed are those whohear the word of God and obey it!”

29As the people crowded around Him, He began to say, “Thisis an evil generation. It seeks a sign, but the only sign you will





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be given is the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30For just as Jonahwas a sign to the people of Nineveh, so also will the Son of Manbe to this generation. 31 The Queen of Sheba will rise at the

judgment with the men of this generation and will condemnthem, because she came from the ends of the earth to hearSolomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon ishere! 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment withthis generation and will condemn it, because they repented atthe preaching of Jonah. But look, someone greater than Jonahis here!

33“No one lights a lamp and hides it or puts it under abasket. Instead they put it on a lamp stand, so that those whocome in may see its light. 34Your eye is the lamp of your body.If your eyes are generous, your body is full of light. But if youreyes are stingy, your body is full of darkness. 35So watch outthat the light in you is not darkness! 36 Therefore, if your bodyis full of light, and none of it is dark, it will be completely fullof light, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

37When Jesus finished speaking, a Pharisee invited Himover for a meal. So Jesus went in and sat down to eat. 38 ThePharisee marvelled when he saw that Jesus did not first washHis hands before the meal. 39But the Lord said to him, “YouPharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside youare full of greed and wickedness. 40Fools! Did not the One whomade the outside make the inside as well? 41But give what isinside to the poor, and then everything will be clean for you.

42“Woe to you Pharisees! For you give a tenth of your mint,rue, and herbs, yet neglect justice and the love of God! Youshould have tithed, without neglecting justice and the love of God.

43“Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the most importantseats in the synagogues, and to be greeted in the market-places!

44“Woe to you, you teachers of the law and Pharisees, youhypocrites! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walkon without knowing.”



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45 Then one of the experts in the law said to Him, “Teacher,when You say these things, You are insulting us as well!”

46

He said, “Woe to you, you experts in the law! For you loadmen down with burdens that are hard to carry, but you your-selves do not lift one finger to help ease those burdens.

47“Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, andit was your fathers who killed them! 48 Therefore, you testifythat you approve of the deeds of your fathers—for they killedthe prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 That is why God inHis wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and

some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50

so that this gener-ation will be held accountable for the blood of all the prophetsshed from the foundation of the world— 51from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah,53 who was killed between thealtar and the sanctuary. Truly I say to you, this generation willbe held accountable.

52“Woe to you, you experts in the law! You have taken awaythe key to knowledge! You did not enter yourselves, and you

have kept out those who were trying to enter!”53As He said these things to them, the teachers of the law

and the Pharisees began to oppose Him fiercely. They askedHim many questions, trying to provoke Him to talk about manythings, 54waiting to catch Him in His words, so that they couldaccuse Him of saying something wrong.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people had assembledtogether. The crowd was so large that people trampledon one another. Jesus spoke to His disciples first, saying,“Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2Forall that is hidden will be revealed, and all that is secret will bemade known. 3Whatever you have said in the dark will beheard in the daylight, and whatever you have whispered be-hind closed doors will be proclaimed from the rooftops.

4

“My friends, I say this to you: do not be afraid of those whocan kill the body, but after that can do nothing more. 5But I

53 2 Chronicles 24:20-22

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will show you the One you should fear: fear Him who has thepower to throw you into hell after killing you. Yes, I tell you,

fear Him! 6

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet notone of them is forgotten by God. 7And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid, for you areworth far more than many sparrows.

8“I say this to you: whoever confesses Me before men, himwill the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. 9Butwhoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angelsof God. 10Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will

be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spiritwill not be forgiven.

11“When they bring you before the synagogues, rulers, andauthorities, do not worry about how you should defend your-selves or what you should say, 12for at that moment the HolySpirit will teach you what you must say.”

13Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my

brother to divide the inheritance with me!”14But Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed Me as a judgeor arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Watch outand guard yourselves from all greed, for a man’s life does notconsist in the abundance of his possessions.”

16He told them a parable, saying, “The ground of a certainrich man produced an abundant crop. 17So he thought tohimself, ‘What am I going to do? I have nowhere to store my

crops.’ 18

Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barnsand build bigger ones, and in them I will store all my grain andgoods. 19And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have stored upmany good things for many years. Now rest, eat, drink, and bemerry.”’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night yoursoul will be demanded of you. Then who will get what you haveprepared for yourself?’ 21 This is how it will be for those whostore up treasures for themselves but are not rich towardGod.”

22 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Therefore I tell you this:do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat, or about

your body, as to how you will clothe it. 23For life is more



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important than food, and the body more important thanclothing. 24Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, theydo not have storerooms or barns, yet God feeds them. Howmuch more are you worth than birds? 25Can any of you add asingle hour to your life span by worrying? 26If you cannot evendo a small thing like that, then why worry about the rest?27Consider how the lilies grow, they do not work or makeclothing. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splen-dour was clothed like one of them. 28If that is how God clothesthe grass of the field, which is alive today, and tomorrow isthrown into the fire, how much more will He clothe you, you of little faith?

29“Do not worry about what you will eat or what you willdrink; do not be doubtful. 30For all the Gentiles of the worldstrive for these things, but your heavenly Father knows that

you need them. 31But seek the kingdom of God, and all thesethings will be added to you. 32Do not fear, little flock, for it is

your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. Providewallets for yourselves that will not wear out, an inexhaustible

treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no mothdestroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will bealso.

35“Keep your belts fastened and your lamps burning, 36likemen waiting for their master to return from a wedding ban-quet, so that when he comes and knocks you can immediatelyopen the door for him. 37Blessed are those slaves whose masterfinds them watching when he returns. Truly I say to you, he

will fasten his belt, seat them at the table, and will come andserve them. 38Blessed are those slaves whose master findsthem waiting, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night.54

39“Remember this: had the owner of the house known atwhat time the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake

54

There were four watches in the night. The first watch wasfrom 6:00–9:00 P.M., the second was from 9:00 P.M.–midnight,the third was from midnight–3:00 A.M., and the fourth from3:00–6:00 A.M.



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and would not have let his house be broken into. 40So beready, because the Son of Man will come at a time you do notexpect.”

41 Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, are you telling this parableto us or to everyone?”

42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward,whom the master has put in charge of his servants, to givethem their food allowance at the proper time? 43How blessed isthat slave whom his master finds doing so when he returns.44 Truly I say to you, he will put him in charge of all that heowns. 45But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is notcoming back for a while,’ and he begins to beat the menserv-ants and maidservants and to eat and drink and get drunk,46the master of that slave will come on a day that he does notexpect and at an hour he does not know. Then his master willwhip him severely and assign him a place with the unbelievers.47 The slave who knows his master’s will, but does not get readyor does not do what his master wants, will be whipped withmany stripes. 48But the slave who does not know his master’swill, and does things worthy of stripes, will be whipped withfew stripes. From everyone who has been given much, muchwill be demanded, and from the one who has been entrustedwith much, even more will be asked of him.

49“I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish itwere already kindled! 50But I have a baptism to be baptizedwith, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51Donot think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. No, Itell you, but rather division! 52From now on, there will be fivedivided in one household: three against two, and two againstthree. 53 They will be divided:

‘A father against his son,a son against his father,a mother against her daughter,a daughter against her mother,a mother-in-law againsther daughter-in-law,and a daughter-in-law againsther mother-in-law.’”(Micah 7:6)







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out! 29People will come from the east and the west, from thenorth and the south, and will sit down in the kingdom of God.30

Look! Those who are last will be first, and those who are firstwill be last.”

31 That same day, some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,“Go, get away from here! Herod wants to kill You!”

32But Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox, ‘Look! I will castout demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and on thethird day I will complete My work.’ 33Yet I must travel todayand tomorrow and the next day, because it is unthinkable for

a prophet to perish anywhere except in Jerusalem.34“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and

stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed togather your children together as a hen gathers her chicksunder her wings, but you would not let Me! 35Look! Your houseis left to you desolate. Truly I say to you, you will not see Meagain until you say,

‘Blessed is He who comesin the name of the Lord!’”(Psalm 118:26)

One Sabbath Jesus went to eat bread in the house of aprominent Pharisee, and they watched Him closely.

2 There, right in front of Him, was a man whose body was swol-len with fluid. 3So Jesus asked the Pharisees and the expertsin the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 4But theymade no reply. So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him,and sent him away. 5 Then He said to them, “Which one of you,if your donkey or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will notpull it out immediately?” 6And they could not answer Him.

7When Jesus saw how the guests were choosing the mostimportant seats, He told them this parable: 8“When someoneinvites you to a wedding banquet, do not sit in the most im-portant seat, because someone more important than you mayhave been invited. 9If so, the one who invited you will comeand say, ‘Give this man your seat,’ and in shame, you will haveto take the least important seat. 10But when you are invited, go

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and sit in the least important seat. Then, when the one whoinvited you comes, he will say, ‘Friend, move up to a better

seat,’ and you will be honoured in the presence of everyoneseated with you.56 11For whoever exalts himself will be hum-bled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

12 Then He said to the one who had invited Him, “When yougive a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, yourbrothers, your relatives, or your rich neighbours. Otherwisethey might invite you over to eat in return, and you would berepaid. 13Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the

lame, the blind, and those with missing limbs. 14

Then you willbe blessed, because they cannot repay you, and you will berepaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

15One of those who were sitting at the table heard this, andsaid to Him, “Blessed are those who will eat bread in the king-dom of God.”

16 Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a large banquetand invited many. 17When it was time for the banquet, he sent

his slave to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything isready now.’ 18But they all made excuses. The first one said, ‘Ihave just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Pleaseexcuse me.’ 19Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20Andanother said, ‘I just married a wife, so I cannot go.’ 21So theslave went back and reported all this to his master. Then themaster of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Goquickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring back

the poor, the lame, the blind, and those with missing limbs!’ 22 Then the slave said, ‘Sir, your command has been carriedout, and there is still room.’ 23So the master said to the slave,‘Go out into the roads and paths and compel the people tocome in, so that my house may be filled! 24For I say to you,none of those men who were invited will eat at my banquet!’”

25 Jesus turned to the large crowds that were accompanyingHim and said, 26“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his

father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers andsisters, as well as his own life, he cannot be My disciple.

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27Whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot beMy disciple.

28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Would younot first sit down and calculate the cost to see if you haveenough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundationand cannot finish it, everyone who sees it will mock you,30saying, ‘This man started to build, but could not finish it!’

31“Or suppose a king is about to engage another king inbattle. Would he not first sit down with his advisers and

determine whether his ten thousand men can fight a king whois coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If not, whilethe other is still a long way off, he will send a delegation to askfor terms of peace.

33“Likewise, none of you can be My disciples unless you giveup everything. 34Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavour, howcan it be made salty again? 35It is not fit for the soil or for themanure pile, but is thrown out. Whoever has ears to hear, let

him hear!”

All the tax collectors and sinners came to hear Jesus.2But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law mur-

mured, saying, “This Man welcomes sinners and eats withthem!”

3So Jesus told them this parable: 4“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave

the ninety-nine in the wilderness to go looking for the lost oneuntil he finds it? 5And when he finds it, he puts it on hisshoulders and rejoices. 6And when he returns home, he callshis friends and neighbours together and says to them, ‘Rejoicewith me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’ 7Likewise, I say to you, there will be more joy in heaven overone sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous peoplewho have no need of repentance.

8

“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses oneof them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and searchcarefully until she finds it? 9And when she finds it, she callsher friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with

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me, because I have found the coin that I lost!’ 10Likewise, I sayto you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one

sinner who repents.”11 Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. 12 The youngest

son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the in-heritance.’ So the father divided his estate between them. 13Afew days later, the youngest son packed up all his belongingsand went off to a distant country. There he squandered hismoney on wild living. 14After he had spent everything, a severefamine struck that country, and he became destitute.

15“So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into the fields to feed his pigs. 16Helonged to fill his stomach with the carob pods that the pigswere eating, but no one gave him anything.

17“But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have an abundance of food, and here Iam starving to death! 18I will get up and go to my father, and

say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you! 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make melike one of your hired men.”’ 20So he got up and went to hisfather.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw himand was filled with compassion. So his father ran to him,threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 Then hisson said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and

against you! I am no longer worthy to be called your son!’ 22

Buthis father said to his slaves, ‘Bring out the best robe and put iton him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet!23 Then bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat andcelebrate! 24For this son of mine was dead, but now he is aliveagain! He was lost, but now he is found!’ And they began tocelebrate.

25“Now his oldest son was in the field. On his way back, ashe approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26Sohe called one of the slaves and asked him what was hap-pening. 27 The slave said, ‘Your brother has come back home,



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and your father has killed the fattened calf because he hascome back safe and sound.’

28“But the oldest son became angry and would not go intothe house. So his father came out and begged him to come in.29But he answered his father, ‘Look! I have served you like aslave for many years, and I have never disobeyed a single com-mandment of yours. Yet you never even gave me a young goat,so that I could celebrate with my friends! 30But when this sonof yours came back, after wasting your money on prostitutes,

you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 Then his father said tohim, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is

yours. 32But now we must rejoice and celebrate! For thisbrother of yours was dead, but now he is alive again! He waslost, but now he is found!’”

Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich manwhose steward was accused of squandering his pos-

sessions. 2So he summoned the steward and said to him,‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stew-ardship; you can no longer be my steward!’

3“The steward said to himself, ‘What should I do? My mas-ter is taking the stewardship away from me. I am definitely notstrong enough to dig, and I am too proud to beg. 4Aha! I knowwhat I will do!—so that when I am removed from the stew-ardship, people will welcome me into their homes.’

5“Then he called each one of his master’s debtors. He askedthe first one, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 The manreplied, ‘I owe him nine hundred gallons of olive oil.’ The stew-ard said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and writedown four hundred and fifty gallons.’ 7 Then the steward askedanother one, ‘How much do you owe?’ The man replied, ‘Athousand bushels of wheat.’ Then the steward said to him,‘Take your bill and write down eight hundred bushels.’

8“The master commended the dishonest steward because hehad acted shrewdly. In this age, the children of this world aremore shrewd than the children of light.

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tongue, because I am in torment in this inferno.’ 25ButAbraham said, ‘Child, remember that in your lifetime you re-

ceived your good things, whereas Lazarus received bad things.But now he is comforted here, while you are in torment.26Besides all this, a wide chasm has been fixed between us and

you, so that no one from here can cross over to you, and noone from there can cross over to us.’

27“The rich man answered, ‘Father Abraham, I beg you tosend Lazarus to my father’s house, 28because I have fivebrothers. Let him warn them, so that they do not end up in

this place of torture.’ 29

But Abraham said to him, ‘They haveMoses and the Prophets; they can listen to them.’ 30 The richman replied, ‘No, father Abraham! But if someone from thedead goes to them, they will repent!’ 31Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not beconvinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Jesus said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks are bound

to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!2It would be better for him to have a large millstone hungaround his neck and to be cast into the sea than to cause oneof these little ones to sin. 3Watch yourselves! If your brothersins against you, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in aday turns to you and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”6 The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard

seed, you can say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted andplanted in the sea,’ and it will obey you! 7Which one of you,who has a slave ploughing or tending the sheep, will say tohim when he comes in from the field, ‘Come! Sit down to eat’?8None of you! Instead, you will say to him, ‘Prepare me some-thing to eat. Fasten your belt and wait on me while I eat anddrink, then afterwards you can eat and drink.’ 9Will you thankthat slave because he did what you commanded him? I thinknot! 10Likewise, when you have done everything you were com-manded, you should say, ‘We are worthless slaves. We haveonly done our duty.’”

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11On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed between Samariaand Galilee. 12As He entered a village, He was met by ten men

with leprosy. They stood at a distance, 13

and lifted up theirvoices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”14When Jesus saw them, He said, “Go! Show yourselves to

the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.15But one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned

back and glorified God with a loud voice. 16He fell facedown at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him. The man was a Samaritan.

17 Jesus said, “Were not ten of you cleansed? Where are theother nine? 18Was this foreigner the only one who turned back

to give glory to God?” 19

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up andgo! Your faith has healed you.”

20Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the king-dom of God come?” Jesus answered, “The kingdom of God is notcoming in the way you expect to see it. 21People will not say,‘Look! Here it is!’ or ‘Look! There it is!’ For look! The kingdom of God is in your midst.”

22 Then He said to the disciples, “The days will come when

you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but youwill not see it. 23People will say to you, ‘Look! Here He is!’ or‘Look! There He is!’ But do not go after them or follow them.24For as lightning flashes and illuminates one end of the sky tothe other, so will the Son of Man be on the day of His return.25But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by thisgeneration.

26“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the

days of the Son of Man. 27

People were eating, drinking, mar-rying, and being given in marriage, until the day Noah enteredthe ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.28Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—people wereeating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. 29Buton the day Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained downfrom heaven and destroyed them all. 30 That is how it will be onthe day the Son of Man is revealed. 31On that day, those on therooftop, whose belongings are in the house, must not go down

to get them. Likewise, those in the field must not turn back foranything. 32Remember Lot’s wife!58 33Whoever tries to save his

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life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed—one will

be taken, and one will be left. 35

Two women will be grindinggrain together at the mill—one will be taken, and one will beleft. 36 Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken,and one will be left.”

37 Then the disciples asked Him, “Where, Lord?” Jesus answered, “Wherever there is a body, there the vul-

tures will gather.”

Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them thatthey must always pray and not faint. 2He said, “In a

certain town there was a judge who neither feared God norrespected man. 3Now a widow in that town kept coming to him,saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary!’ 4For a longtime he was unwilling to help her, but after a while he said tohimself, ‘Even though I do not fear God or respect man, 5 yetbecause this widow keeps troubling me, I will grant her justice,

so that in the end she will not wear me out with herpersistence.’”

6 Then the Lord said, “You heard what the unrighteous judge said. 7How much more will God grant justice to His electwho cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting themoff? 8I say to you, He will swiftly grant them justice! But whenthe Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”

9 Then Jesus told this parable to those who trusted in theirown righteousness and looked down on others: 10“Two menwent up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and theother was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayedabout himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men,who steal, cheat, and commit adultery, or even like this taxcollector. 12I fast twice a week, and give a tenth of all that Iget.’ 13But the tax collector stood at a distance, and would noteven lift his eyes to heaven. He beat his chest and said, ‘God,be merciful to a sinner like me.’ 14I tell you, this man wentback to his home justified rather than the other. For whoeverexalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

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15Some people brought their babies to Jesus, so that Hecould touch them. But when His disciples saw this, they re-

buked them. 16

But Jesus called the children to Him and said,“Let the little children come to Me. Do not stop them, becausethe kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. 17 Truly I sayto you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like achild will not enter it.”

18A certain leader asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must Ido to inherit eternal life?”

19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? There is

only One who is good, and that is God. 20

You know thecommandments:

‘You must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, you must not give false testimony,honour your father and mother.’”(Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20)

21But the leader said, “I have kept all of these commandmentssince my childhood.”

22When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “There is onething you lack. Sell everything you have and give the proceedsto the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then comeand follow Me.” 23But when the leader heard this he becamesad, because he was very rich.

24When Jesus saw how sad he was, He said, “How difficultit is for those who are rich to enter the kingdom of God! 25For itis easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than fora rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 Those who heard this said, “Then who can be saved?”27 Jesus answered, “What is impossible with man is possiblewith God.”

28 Then Peter said, “We have left everything to follow You.”29 Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one

who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or childrenfor the sake of the kingdom of God, 30who will not receive farmore in this present time, and eternal life in the age to come.”



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31 Then Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, “Weare now on our way to Jerusalem, and everything that is writ-

ten by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32

Hewill be handed over to the Gentiles, and He will be mocked,abused, and spit on. 33And they will whip Him and put Him todeath, but on the third day He will rise again.”

34But the disciples understood none of this. Its meaningwas hidden from them, and they did not know what He wastalking about.

35As Jesus was nearing Jericho, there was a blind man

sitting by the road begging. 36

When he heard the crowd goingpast, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”

38So he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercyon me!”

39But the people in front rebuked him and told him to bequiet. However, he cried out all the more, “Son of David, havemercy on me!”

40 Then Jesus stood still and commanded the man to be

brought to Him. As the man approached, Jesus asked him,41“What do you want Me to do for you?” The man exclaimed, “Lord, I want to receive my sight!”42 Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight! Your faith

has healed you!” 43Immediately the man received his sight andfollowed Jesus, glorifying God. And when all the people sawthis, they gave praise to God.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2

Awealthy man named Zacchaeus was there; he was achief tax collector. 3He wanted to see who Jesus was, but hecould not see over the crowd because he was too short. 4So heran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree to catch a glimpseof Jesus, who was coming that way. 5When Jesus reached thatspot, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come downquickly, because I must stay at your house today.” 6So hecame down quickly and welcomed Him with joy.

7

When everyone saw this, they began to complain, saying,“He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”8Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! I

will give half of my possessions to the poor. And if I have cheat-

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ed anyone, I will repay them four times as much!”9 Then Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house,

because he too is a son of Abraham. 10

For the Son of Mancame to seek and to save the lost.”

11Since Jesus was nearing Jerusalem, they thought that thekingdom of God would appear right away. So while they werelistening, He told them a parable. 12He said, “A certain noble-man went to a distant country to be appointed king and thento return. 13He summoned ten of his slaves, gave them tenminas, and said to them, ‘Invest this until I come back.’ 59

14

But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him,saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us!’

15“After receiving his kingdom, he returned home. Then hesummoned the slaves to whom he had given the money to findout how much each one had made by investing. 16 The first onecame and said, ‘Master, your mina has made ten more minas.’ 17 The king said to him, ‘Well done, good slave! Since you havebeen faithful in such a small matter, I will put you in charge of

ten cities.’ 18

The second one came and said, ‘Master, your minahas made five minas.’ 19 The king said to him, ‘You will be incharge of five cities.’

20“Then another one came and said, ‘Master, look! Here is your mina. I kept it hidden in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. For you profit where you didnot invest, and you reap what you did not sow.’ 22 The king said

59

A mina is 1/60 of a talent. A talent is 75 pounds.75×1/60=1.25 pounds. Precious metals are weighed in troyounces. There are 14.583 troy ounces in an American(Avoirdupois) pound. 14.583×(the price of silver). Today(February 3, 2014) silver is worth $19.34(USD) per troy ounce.14.583×19.34=282.04So today silver is worth $282.04(USD) a pound.282.04×1.25=352.55So one mina of silver is $352.55(USD).

10×352.55=3,525.50So ten minas of silver is $3,525.50(USD).5×352.55=1,762.75So five minas of silver is $1,762.75(USD).



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to him, ‘I will judge you by the words of your mouth, you wickedslave! Since you knew that I was a hard man, profiting where I

did not invest and reaping where I did not sow, 23

then why did you not deposit my money in the bank? Then when I returned,I could have collected it with interest.’ 24So the king said tothose standing there, ‘Take the mina away from him and give itto the one who has ten minas.’ 25But they said to him, ‘Master,he already has ten minas!’ 26 The king replied, ‘I tell you that toeveryone who has, more will be given. But from the one whodoes not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.27Now, as for those enemies of mine who did not want me to

rule over them, bring them here and execute them in front of me!’”

28After saying these things, Jesus travelled onward to Jerusalem. 29As He approached the towns of Bethphage andBethany, on the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciplesoff 30with these instructions: “Go to the town across the way.When you get there, you will find a colt tied up that nobodyhas ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks

you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say to them, ‘The Lord needs it.’”32So the two disciples went off and found everything just as Hehad told them.

33As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them,“Why are you untying the colt?”

34 The disciples said, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then theybrought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on it, and put

Jesus on it. 36As He was going along, people spread their coatson the road. 37Now when He came to the descent of the Mount

of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began to rejoice andpraise God with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen,38saying,

“Blessed is the King who comesin the name of the Lord!”(Psalm 118:26)

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

39 Then some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Him,“Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!”



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40But Jesus answered and said to them, “I tell you, if they weresilent, the stones would cry out!”

41When He came near and saw the city of Jerusalem, Hewept over it, 42saying, “If you had only known on this day whatwould bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.43For the days will come upon you when your enemies willbuild fortifications around you, and will encircle you and hem

you in on every side. 44 They will level you and your childrenwithin you to the ground. They will not leave in you one stoneon another, because you did not know the time of your

visitation.”45When Jesus entered the temple, He began to throw out

those who were buying and selling in it. 46He said to them, “Itis written:

‘My house will be a house of prayer,’ (Isaiah 56:7)

but you have made it a den of bandits.”60

47Every day Jesus taught in the temple. But the chief priests,the teachers of the law, and the elders of the people sought tokill Him. 48But they could not find a way to do it, because allthe people hung on His words.

On one of those days, as Jesus was teaching the peoplein the temple and proclaiming the good news, the chief

priests and the teachers of the law and the elders approachedHim. 2 They spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authorityare You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?”

3 Jesus answered and said to them, “I have a question for you. Answer Me: 4did John’s authority to baptize come fromheaven or from men?”

5 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say,‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe

John?’ 6But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us,

60 Jeremiah 7:11

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because they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7So theyanswered, “We do not know where it came from.”

8

Then Jesus said to them, “Well, then, I will not tell you bywhat authority I am doing these things.”

9 Then Jesus told the people this parable: “There was a manwho planted a vineyard, he leased it to some farmers, and wentaway for a long time. 10At harvest time, he sent a slave to thefarmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But thefarmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11So hesent another slave. They beat him as well, treated him shame-

fully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12

Then he sent a thirdslave, but they wounded him and threw him out as well.

13“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? Iwill send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him whenthey see him.’ 14But when the farmers saw him, they said toone another, ‘This is the heir. Come! Let us kill him, so thatthe inheritance will be ours.’ 15So they threw him out of thevineyard and killed him.

“What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16Itell you, he will come and destroy those farmers and will givethe vineyard to others.”

And when the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”17But Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what is the

meaning of that which is written:

‘The Stone that the builders rejectedhas become the Cornerstone’ ?(Psalm 118:22)

18Everyone who falls on this Stone will be broken to pieces,and anyone it falls on will be ground to powder.”

19 The chief priests and the teachers of the law tried to laytheir hands on Him that same hour, because they knew thatHe had spoken this parable against them, but they were afraidof the people.



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20 They watched Him closely, and sent spies who pretendedto be righteous men. They wanted to trap Him in what He said,

so that they could hand Him over to the power and authorityof the governor. 21So they asked Him a question, “Teacher, weknow that what You speak and teach is right. You do not showfavouritism to any person, but teach the way of God in truth.22 Tell us, is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

23But Jesus perceived their craftiness, and said to them,“Why are you trying to trap Me? 24Show Me a denarius.61

Whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”25

Then He said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s,and to God what is God’s.” 26 They were unable to trap Him inanything He said before the people. They marvelled at Hisanswer, and kept quiet.

27Some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,came and asked Him a question, 28“Teacher, Moses wrote thisto us:

‘If a man’s brother dies,leaving a wife but no children,his brother must marry the widowand have a child on behalf of his brotherin order to preserve his family line.’ (Deuteronomy 25:5-6)

29Now there were seven brothers. The oldest married a wife,but died childless. 30So the second brother married her, but healso died childless. 31 The third brother married her—likewise,all seven married her and died without having children. 32Andlast of all, the woman died too. 33So whose wife will she be atthe resurrection, since all seven were married to her?”

34 Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and aregiven in marriage, 35but those who are counted worthy of theage to come, and of the resurrection from the dead, will notmarry or be given in marriage. 36 They cannot die anymore, forthey are like the angels. They are sons of God, because they

are sons of the resurrection.




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37“Even Moses in the account of the burning bush showedthat the dead are raised. For he calls the Lord ‘the God of

Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 62 38

He isnot the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all arealive.”

39Some of the teachers of the law remarked, “Teacher, Youhave spoken well.” 40And after that nobody dared to ask Himanything.

41 Then Jesus said to them, “How can they say that the

Christ is the son of David? 42

For David himself says in thebook of Psalms,

‘The Lord said to My Lord,“Sit at My right hand43until I make Your enemiesa footstool for Your feet.”’ (Psalm 110:1)

44If David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be his son?”

45While all the people were listening, He said to His dis-ciples, 46“Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walkaround in long robes and to be greeted in the marketplaces.

They love to have the most important seats in the synagoguesand the seats of honour at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. They will receivegreater condemnation!”

Jesus looked up and saw the rich dropping their giftsinto the temple treasury. 2He also saw a poor widow

dropping in two small coins. 3He said, “Truly I say to you, thispoor widow has put in more than all the rest of them. 4Allthese people put their money into the offering out of their sur-plus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to liveon.”

62 Exodus 3:6

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5Some of His disciples were talking about the temple, how itwas decorated with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to

God. But Jesus said, 6

“As for these things that you see, thedays will come when not one stone will be left on another; theywill all be thrown down.”

7So they asked Him, “Teacher, when will these thingshappen? And what will be the sign that these things are aboutto take place?”

8He said, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For manywill come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and ‘The timehas come.’ But do not follow them. 9And when you hear of

wars and revolutions, do not be terrified. For these thingsmust happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

10 Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, andkingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakesand famines and plagues in various places, and there will beterrifying sights and great signs from heaven. 12But before allthis, they will lay hands on you and will persecute you. Theywill hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will

be brought before kings and governors on account of My name.13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So settle it in your hearts not to meditate ahead of time about how you willdefend yourselves. 15For I will give you words of wisdom thatnone of your opponents will be able to contradict or refute.16You will be betrayed even by your parents, brothers, rela-tives, and friends, and some of you will be put to death. 17Youwill be hated by everyone because of My name. 18But not onehair of your head will perish. 19By your perseverance you will

gain your lives.20“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then

you will know that her desolation is near. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Those in Jerusalem mustget out, and those in the countryside must not enter her. 22Forthese are the days of vengeance, so that all that is written maybe fulfilled. 23How terrible it will be in those days for womenwho are pregnant or nursing. There will be great distress in theland and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edgeof the sword and will be led captive into all the nations, and

Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles until thetimes of the Gentiles are fulfilled.



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25“There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. Thenations of the earth will be distressed and confused because of

the roaring of the sea and its tides. 26

Men will faint from terrorwhen they see what is going to happen on the earth, for thepowers of heaven will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Sonof Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28Whenthese things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads,because your redemption draws near.”

29 Then Jesus told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree orany other tree. 30When they sprout leaves, you can see andknow for yourselves that summer is near. 31Likewise, when

you see these things happening, you will know that the king-dom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to you, this generation willnot pass away until all these things are fulfilled. 33Heaven andearth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

34“Be on your guard, so that your hearts are not weigheddown with gluttony, drunkenness, and the cares of this life, orthat day will come on you unexpectedly. 35For it will come likea trap on all the inhabitants of the whole earth. 36Always bewatchful, and petition God that you may be counted worthy toescape all that is about to happen, and that you may be ableto stand before the Son of Man.”

37During the day Jesus taught in the temple, but at nightHe went and stayed on the Mount of Olives. 38And all the peo-ple came early in the morning to listen to Him in the temple.

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called thePassover, was drawing near. 2 The chief priests and the

teachers of the law were looking for a way to kill Jesus, butthey were afraid of the people.

3 Then satan entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of thetwelve disciples. 4He went off to the chief priests and theofficers of the temple guard and discussed how he could hand

Jesus over to them. 5 They were delighted, and agreed to givehim silver. 6He consented, and began to look for an opportu-

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nity to hand Jesus over to them when the crowds were notpresent.

7 Then the Day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Pass-over lamb had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus sent Peter and John,saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”

9 They asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”10He replied, “When you go into the city, you will meet a

man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house heenters, 11and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks

you, “Where is the guest room, where I can eat the Passover

with My disciples?”’ 12

Then he will show you a large upperroom that is furnished. Make preparations there.” 13So theywent and found everything just as He had told them, and theyprepared the Passover meal.

14When the hour came, Jesus sat at the table, and thetwelve apostles sat with Him. 15 Then He said to them, “I haveearnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.16For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the

kingdom of God.”17 Then He took the cup, and after giving thanks He said,

“Take this and share it among yourselves. 18For I say to you, Iwill not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of Godcomes.” 19 Then He took the bread, and after giving thanks, Hebroke it and gave it to them, saying “This is My body, which isgiven for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 20Likewise, Hetook the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the New Cove-

nant in My blood, which is poured out for you.21“But Look! The hand of My betrayer is with Me on the

table. 22 Truly the Son of Man will go as it has been determined,but woe to that man who betrays Him!” 23 Then they askedeach other which one of them would do such a thing.

24A dispute arose among the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest. 25So Jesus said to them, “The kings of

the Gentiles lord it over their subjects, and those who exerciseauthority over them are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26But youmust not be like that! On the contrary, the greatest among you



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must be like the youngest, and the one who leads must be likea servant. 27For who is the greatest, the one sitting at the table

or the one serving? It is the one sitting at the table, is it not?But I am among you as one who serves.

28“You are the ones who have remained with Me in Mytrials. 29And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as My Father hasbestowed one on Me, 30so that you may eat and drink at Mytable in My kingdom. And you will sit on thrones judging thetwelve tribes of Israel.”

31

Then the Lord said, “Simon, Simon, look! Satan hasdemanded to sift you like wheat, 32but I have petitioned theFather for you that your faith may not fail. And when you haveturned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33But Peter said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with Youboth to prison and to death!”

34 Jesus replied, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crowtoday until you have denied knowing Me three times.”

35

Jesus said to them, “When I sent you without a money-bag, traveller’s bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They replied, “Nothing at all.”36 Then He said to them, “But now, whoever has a moneybag

should take it, and likewise a traveller’s bag. And whoever hasno sword should sell his coat and buy one. 37For I tell you thatthis Scripture must be fulfilled concerning Me:

‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’

(Isaiah 53:12)

Indeed, what is written about Me is nearly completed.”38 The disciples said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”He replied, “That is enough.”

39 Then Jesus left and went to the Mount of Olives, as wasHis custom, and His disciples followed Him. 40When He reachedthe place He was going, He said to them, “Pray that you will

not enter into temptation.” 41

Then He withdrew from themabout a stone’s throw away, fell on His knees, and began topray, 42“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me.However, not My will but Yours be done.” 43 Then an angel from



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heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. 44Being inanguish, He prayed more intensely. And His sweat was like

drops of blood falling to the ground. 45

When He got up fromprayer, He went to His disciples, and found them sleeping onaccount of grief. 46So He said to them, “Why are you sleeping?Get up, and pray that you will not enter into temptation.”

47As Jesus was saying this, a crowd appeared. And one of the twelve, named Judas, was leading them. He came up to

Jesus to kiss Him. 48But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are youbetraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49

When His disciples saw what was about to happen, theysaid to Him, “Lord, should we attack them with our swords?”50 Then one of them struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear.

51But Jesus responded, “Enough of this!” And He touchedthe man’s ear and healed him.

52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of thetemple guard, and the elders who had come for Him, “Have

you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were some kind of bandit? 53I was in the temple with you every day, and you didnot lay a hand on Me. But this is your hour, when darknessreigns.”

54 Then they arrested Him, led Him away, and brought Himto the high priest’s house. Peter, meanwhile, followed at adistance. 55And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and sat down together, Peter sat down with

them. 56

When a slave-girl saw him sitting by the fire, shelooked at him closely and said, “This man was also with Him.”57Peter, however, denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know

Him.”58A little while later, someone else saw him and said, “You

are also one of them.”Peter, however, denied Him again, saying, “Man, I am not!”59About an hour later another person insisted, “Certainly

this man was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”60

Then Peter denied Him again, saying, “Man, I do not knowwhat you are talking about!” And immediately, while he wasstill speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned andlooked at Peter. And Peter remembered the words that Jesus



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had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Methree times.” 62 Then Peter went outside and wept bitterly.

63 The men who were guarding Jesus began to mock Himand beat Him. 64 They blindfolded Him, and kept hitting Him inthe face, saying, “Prophesy! Who is it who hit You?” 65And theysaid many other blasphemous things against Him.

66When day came, the elders of the people, the chief priests,and the teachers of the law assembled together and broughtHim before the Sanhedrin, saying, 67“If You are the Christ, tellus!”

But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe Me.68And if I ask you a question, you will not answer Me or let Mego. 69But from now on, the Son of Man will sit at the righthand of Almighty God.”

70 Then they all asked, “Are You, then, the Son of God?” Jesus answered, “You are correct.”71And they said, “What further evidence do we need? We

have heard it from His own mouth!”

Then the entire Sanhedrin got up and brought Him be-fore Pilate. 2And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We

found this Man subverting our nation and forbidding us to paytaxes to Caesar, even saying that He is Christ—a King!”

3 Then Pilate asked Him a question, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “You are correct.”4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find

this Man guilty of no crime.”5But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people throughout

all Judea with His teaching. He began in Galilee, and now Heis here.”

6When Pilate heard this, he asked if Jesus was from Galilee.7And when Pilate found out that Jesus was from Galilee, the

jurisdiction of Herod Antipas, he sent Him to Herod. For Herodwas in Jerusalem at that time.

8Herod was very glad to see Jesus, because he had heardmuch about Him. He had wanted to see Jesus for a long time,and hoped to see Him perform some kind of miraculous sign.

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9So Herod asked Him many questions, but Jesus made noreply. 10And the chief priests and the teachers of the law stood

and viciously accused Him. 11

Then Herod and his soldierstreated Him with contempt. They dressed Him in a magnificentrobe and mocked Him, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 That dayPilate and Herod became friends with one another. Before thisthey had been enemies.

13 Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders,and the people, 14and said to them, “You brought this Man tome as one who misleads the people. But I have examined Him

before you, and I have not found this Man guilty of any of thecrimes you have accused Him of doing. 15Neither did Herod, sohe sent Him back to us. Look! He has done nothing worthy of death. 16 Therefore I will punish Him, and then release Him.”

17Now Pilate was obligated to release one prisoner to themat the feast. 18So they all cried out in unison, saying, “Awaywith this Man! Release Barabbas to us!” 19(Barabbas had beenthrown into prison for a rebellion that had occurred in the city,and for murder.) 20Pilate, however, wanting to release Jesus,

addressed them again. 21

But they kept crying out, “CrucifyHim! Crucify Him!”22 Then Pilate said to them a third time, “Why? What wrong

has this Man done? I have not found any reason to put Him todeath. Therefore I will punish Him, and then release Him.”23But they persisted with loud voices, demanding that He becrucified. And the voices of the people and the chief priestsprevailed. 24Pilate decided to grant them their request. 25Hereleased Barabbas, who had been thrown into prison for

rebellion and murder, just as they asked. He gave them whatthey desired, and handed Jesus over to be killed.

26As the soldiers led Jesus away, they grabbed hold of aman from the city of Cyrene, named Simon, who was on hisway in from the country. They put the cross on him, and madehim carry it behind Jesus. 27A large crowd of people followedHim, including some woman who were weeping and wailing forHim. 28But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of

Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves andfor your children! 29Look! The days will come when you willsay, ‘Blessed are the barren women, and the wombs that neverbore children, and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30Indeed,



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‘The people will say to the mountains,“Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’

(Hosea 10:8)31For if they do these things when the tree is green, what willhappen when it is dry?”

32 Two others, who were criminals, were also led away withHim to be put to death. 33When they came to the place called“The Skull,” they crucified Him there with the two criminals— one on His right, and one on His left. 34 Then Jesus said,

“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they aredoing.” And the soldiers divided His clothes among themselvesby casting lots.

35While the people stood there watching, the leaders alsoridiculed Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen One of God!”

36 The soldiers also came up and mocked Him. They offeredHim vinegar, 37saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save

Yourself!” 38

There was a sign above Him that was written inGreek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39 Then one of the criminals hanging there hurled insults atHim, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!”

40But the other criminal rebuked him, saying, “Do you not

fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? 41

Weare punished justly, for we are getting what we deserve for ourdeeds, but this Man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when Youcome into Your kingdom!”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I say to you, today you will bewith Me in Paradise.”

44At around noon, darkness fell upon the entire land untilthree in the afternoon. 45 The sun stopped shinning, and theveil of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus cried out witha loud voice and said, “Father, into Your hands I commit Myspirit!” After He said this, He died.



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47Upon seeing this, the officer who was guarding Jesus glo-rified God, saying, “Truly this Man was righteous!” 48When the

crowd that came to watch all this saw what happened, theybeat their chests and went away. 49But all those who knewHim, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee,stood watching from a distance.

50Now there was a man named Joseph, who was a memberof the Sanhedrin. He was a good and righteous man, 51whohad not agreed with the decision and actions of the Sanhedrin.He was from the Jewish city of Arimathea, and he was waiting

for the kingdom of God. 52

He approached Pilate and asked forthe body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen,and placed it in a tomb that was cut out of the rock, where noone had ever been laid.

54It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about tobegin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galileefollowed Joseph, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.56 Then they went back and prepared fragrant spices and oint-

ments. And they rested on the Sabbath as commanded.

But on the first day of the week, very early in the morn-ing, they went to the tomb carrying the fragrant spices

they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from thetomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body of theLord Jesus. 4While they were puzzled about this, two men inshining clothes suddenly stood beside them. 5 The women were

terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men saidto them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?6He is not here—He has risen! Remember what He told youwhile He was still in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be de-livered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on thethird day be raised again.’” 8 Then they remembered His words.9When they returned from the tomb, they reported all thesethings to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 The women who toldthis to the apostles were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the

mother of James, and some others who were with them.

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11 Their words seemed like nonsense to the men, and theydid not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb,

stooped down, and saw the linen strips lying by themselves. Then he went away, wondering what had happened.

13 That same day two of them were walking to a village calledEmmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 Theywere talking to each other about all that had happened. 15Whilethey were talking and discussing these things, Jesus Himself came near and began walking with them. 16But their eyes werekept from recognizing Him. 17And Jesus said to them, “What

are you discussing together as you are walking, which is mak-ing you so sad?”18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to

Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who does notknow what has happened there in the last few days?”

19 Jesus said to them, “What things?” They replied, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who

was a prophet, powerful in both deed and word before God andall the people. 20Our chief priests and leaders handed Him over

to be condemned to death, and He was crucified. 21

We werehoping that He was the One who was going to redeem Israel.But it has already been three days since these things hap-pened. 22However, some of our women amazed us. Early thismorning they went to the tomb, 23but did not find His bodythere. And they came back and told us that they had seen avision of angels, who said that He was alive. 24Some of our menwent to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said.However, they did not see Him.”

25 Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and howslow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!26Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things andthen to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses andall the Prophets, He explained to them all that was writtenabout Himself in the Scriptures.

28As they approached the village where they were headed,

Jesus acted as though He were going further. 29

But theystrongly urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, it is nearly evening,and the day is almost gone.” So He went in to stay with them.30While He was at the table with them, He took the bread, and



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after giving thanks, He broke it and gave it to them. 31 Thentheir eyes were opened and they recognized Him. But He van-

ished from their sight. 32

Then they said to one another, “Didnot our hearts burn within us while He was talking to us onthe road and explaining the Scriptures to us?”

33 That very hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven and those who were gatheredtogether with them, 34saying, “The Lord has really risen! Hehas appeared to Simon!” 35 Then the two described to themwhat had happened on the road, and how they had recognized

Jesus when He broke the bread.36As they were talking about this, Jesus Himself stood in

their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They werestartled and terrified, because they thought that they were see-ing a ghost. 38But Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled?Why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look at My hands andMy feet. It is I Myself! Go ahead, touch Me and see. For a ghostdoes not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40After

saying this, He showed them His hands and feet. 41

And whilethey were still in disbelief on account of their joy and amaze-ment, Jesus asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”42So they handed Him a piece of broiled fish and some honey-comb. 43And He took them and ate them in their presence.

44 Then Jesus said to them, “While I was still with you Ispoke these words to you: everything written about Me in theLaw of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”45

Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,46and said to them, “It is written that the Christ would sufferand rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that repentanceand the forgiveness of sins would be preached in His name toall nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49Look! I am sending the promise of My Fatherupon you, so stay in the city of Jerusalem until you have beenclothed with power from on high.”



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50 Then He led them out as far as the town of Bethany, andHe lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51While He wasblessing them, He departed from them and was taken up intoheaven.63 52 They worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalemwith great joy. 53And they were continually in the temple,praising and thanking God. Amen.

63

The town of Bethany was located on the Mount of Olives.When Christ returns He will touch foot on the Mount of Olives(Zechariah 14:3-4). Jesus will return in the same way He left(Acts 1:9-12).



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John

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

2He was with God in the beginning.

3All things were created by Him,

and not one thing that was createdcould exist without Him.

4He was the source of life,and His life gives light to all mankind.

5 The Light shines through the darkness,and the darkness can never expel it.

6

There was a man named John, who was sent from God.7He came as a witness to testify of the Light, so that everyonemight believe through his testimony. 8 John was not the Light,but came to testify of the Light.

9Indeed! The true Light,which shines on all mankind,was coming into the world.

10

He was in the world,and He created the world,but the world did not know Him.

11He came to His own homeland,but His own people did not receive Him.

12But to all who received Him and believed in His name, Hegave the right to become children of God. 13 They were not born

by natural birth, or by man’s efforts, or because they wereAbraham’s descendants—on the contrary, they were born of God.

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14 The Word became flesh,and lived among us.

We have seen His glory,the glory of the Father’s one and only Son,full of grace and truth.

15 John testified about Him, crying out, “This is the One Ispoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me is greaterthan I am, because He existed before me.’”

16Out of His fullness we have all received

grace upon grace.17For the law was given through Moses,

but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18Nobody has ever seen God— but the one and only Son,

who is at the Father’s side,has made Him known.

19 This is the testimony that John gave when the Jewishleaders in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him, “Whoare you?” 20He did not deny it but openly acknowledged: “I amnot the Messiah.”

21“Then who are you?” they enquired. “Are you Elijah?”“No, I am not,” said John.“Are you the Prophet?”“No,” answered John.22

“Who are you then?” they asked. “For we need to give ananswer to those who sent us. Who do you claim to be?”23 John replied, “As Isaiah the prophet said:

‘I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,make straight the way of the Lord.’”(Isaiah 40:3)

24Now these men, who had been sent by the Pharisees, 25asked

him, “If you are not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet, thenwhy are you baptizing the people?”



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26 John answered, “I baptize with water. However, in your midststands One you do not know. 27He is the One who comes after

me. He is greater than I am, for I am not even worthy to untieHis sandals.” 28 This happened on the east side of the JordanRiver at Bethabara, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said,“Look! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!30He is the One I told you about when I said, ‘He who comesafter me is greater than I am, because He existed before me.’ 31I did not know who He was, but I came baptizing with water

so that He might be revealed to Israel.”32 John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit descendingfrom heaven like a dove and resting upon Him. 33I did notknow who He was, but the One who sent me to baptize withwater said to me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit de-scending and resting upon is the One who will baptize with theHoly Spirit.’ 34I have testified of what I have seen: He is the Sonof God.”

35

The following day John was once again standing there withtwo of his disciples. 36He saw Jesus walking by, and said,“Look! The Lamb of God!” 37After hearing him say this, the twodisciples followed Jesus.

38And when Jesus turned around and saw them following,He asked them, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are Youstaying?”

39“Come and see,” He replied. So they went and saw where

He was staying, and stayed with Him for the rest of the day. Itwas about four o’clock in the afternoon.

40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two whoheard John and followed Him. 41 The first thing Andrew did wasto find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found theMessiah” (which means “the Anointed One” or “the Christ”).

42Andrew took him to Jesus, who looked at him and said,“You are Simon, the son of John. You will be called Cephas”

(which means “Peter”).43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee, where He

found Philip. “Follow Me,” Jesus said to him. 44Now Philip was



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from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter.45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found

the One Moses wrote about in the Law, as did the prophets: Jesus, the son of Joseph, from the town of Nazareth.”46“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” asked

Nathanael.“Come and see,” replied Philip.47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards Him and remarked,

“Look! A true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”48“How do You know me?” asked Nathanael.

Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under

the fig tree.”49“Rabbi,” said Nathanael, “You are the Son of God! You arethe King of Israel!”

50 Jesus replied, “Do you believe this just because I told youthat I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater thingsthan this!” 51 Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to

you, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God as-cending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Three days later, there was a wedding in the town of Canain Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2and Jesus and His

disciples were also invited to the wedding. 3When the wine ranout, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.”

4“Dear woman,” Jesus said, “what does that have to do with you and Me? My time has not yet come.”

5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

6

Nearby were six stone waterpots, which the Jews used forceremonial washing, each with a capacity of twenty to thirtygallons.

7 Jesus told them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So theyfilled them up to the brim. 8“Now take some out,” said Jesus,“and bring it to the man in charge of the banquet.” So they did.

9When the man in charge of the banquet tasted the waterthat had turned into wine (he did not know where it had comefrom, but the servants who brought the water knew), he calledthe bridegroom. 10“Everyone usually serves the best wine first,”he said. “Then, after the guests have been drinking for a while,they serve the cheaper wine. But you have kept the best untilnow!”

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11 Jesus did this, the first of His miraculous signs, in thetown of Cana in Galilee. He displayed His glory, and His

disciples believed in Him. 12

After this He went to the town of Capernaum for a few days with His mother, His brothers, andHis disciples.

13 The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went down to Jerusalem. 14In the temple He found moneychangers and peo-ple selling cattle, sheep, and doves. 15So He made a whip out of ropes and drove them all out of the temple—the sheep, cattle,and the moneychangers—dumping out their money and over-

turning their tables. 16

And He said to those selling doves, “Getthese things out of here! Do not make My Father’s house ahouse of merchandise!”

17His disciples later recalled that it was written:

“The zeal of Your house has consumed Me.”(Psalm 69:9)

18 The Jewish leaders challenged Him by saying, “What mirac-

ulous sign can You show us, to prove that You have authorityto do this?”19“Destroy this temple,” Jesus answered, “and in three days

I will raise it up.”20“It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,” they

responded, “and in three days You will raise it up?”21But the temple He was speaking about was His body.

22After He was raised from the dead, His disciples rememberedwhat He had said, and they believed the Scriptures and the

words that Jesus had spoken.23While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many

saw the miraculous signs He was doing and believed in Hisname. 24But Jesus did not trust the crowds, because He knewthe true nature of all men. 25Nobody needed to tell Him aboutanyone, because He already knew what was in their hearts.

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a Jewishleader, 2who came to Jesus at night. “Rabbi,” he said, “we3



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know that You are a Teacher sent by God. For no one could dothe miraculous signs that You do, unless God were with Him.”

3

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man isborn again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4“How can a man be born again,” asked Nicodemus, “whenhe is old? Is a man able to enter his mother’s womb a secondtime, and be born again?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man isborn of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.64 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of

the Spirit is spirit. 7

Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘Youmust be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wishes, youcan hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes fromor where it goes. It is the same with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

9“How can this be possible?” asked Nicodemus.10“You are a teacher of Israel,” said Jesus, “and you do not

know this? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we

know, and we testify of what we have seen, yet you do not re-ceive our testimony. 12If I tell you about earthly things and youdo not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenlythings? 13No man has gone up to heaven except He who camedown from heaven—the Son of Man, who is from heaven.14 Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,65 somust the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes inHim should not perish, but have eternal life.

16

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one andonly Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, buthave eternal life. 17In fact, God did not send His Son into theworld to condemn the world, but to save the world throughHim. 18 The man who believes in Him is not condemned, butthe man who does not believe has already been condemned,because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only

64

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a man is born againthrough the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Titus3:5).65 Numbers 21:8



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Son. 19 The reason they stand condemned is this: light hascome into the world, but they loved darkness more than light,

because their deeds were evil. 20

For every man who practicesevil hates the light, and does not come to the light for fear thathis deeds will be exposed. 21But the man who practices thetruth comes to the light, so that it may be perfectly clear thathis deeds were accomplished through God.”

22After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the country-side of Judea, where He spent some time with them baptizing.23 John was also baptizing at Aenon, near Salim, because there

was an abundance of water there. The people came to him andwere baptized, 24for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

25Now a dispute arose between John’s disciples and some of the Jews concerning purification. 26 They came to John andsaid to him, “Rabbi, look! The Man who was with you on theeast side of the Jordan River, the One you testified about, Heis baptizing, and everyone is going to Him.”

27“A man cannot receive anything unless it has been given

to him from heaven,” replied John. 28

“You yourselves cantestify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sentahead of Him.’ 29 The one who gets the bride is the bridegroom,but the best man who stands and listens to the bridegroom’svoice celebrates joyfully. In the same way, my joy is complete.30He must increase, but I must decrease.

31“He who comes from above is above all. He who comesfrom the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks about earthly

matters. He, however, who comes from heaven, is above all.32He testifies of what He has seen and heard, but nobodyaccepts His testimony. 33 The man who accepts His testimonyacknowledges that God is true. 34Since He is sent by God Hespeaks the words of God, for God has given Him the Spiritwithout measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placedeverything in His hands. 36Whoever believes in the Son haseternal life, but whoever does not believe in the Son will notsee life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”



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When Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that Hewas making and baptizing more disciples than John

2

(though Jesus was not baptizing the people, His discipleswere), 3He left Judea and went back to Galilee.

4While He was passing through Samaria, 5He came to atown called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had givento his son Joseph. 6Since Jacob’s well was there, and since

Jesus was tired from His journey, He sat down at the well. Itwas about noon.

7

A Samaritan woman came to draw some water.“May I have a drink,” Jesus said to her. 8(His disciples hadgone into the town to buy some food.)

9 The Samaritan woman asked Him, “Why would a Jew askfor a drink from a Samaritan woman like me, when Jews donot associate with Samaritans?”

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and whoit is that is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Himand He would have given you living water.”

11“But Sir,” the woman said, “You have nothing to drawwater with, and the well is deep, from where will You get thisliving water? 12Are You greater than our father Jacob, whogave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sonsand his livestock?”

13“Everyone who drinks of this water,” replied Jesus, “willthirst again. 14But whoever drinks of the water that I will givehim will never thirst again. The water that I will give him will

become a well of water in him, springing up to eternal life.”15“Sir,” said the woman, “give me this water so that I will

never thirst again or need to come here to draw water again.”16“Go,” Jesus said to her, “get your husband and come

back.”17“I do not have a husband,” replied the woman.“You are right,” said Jesus, “in saying that you do not have

a husband. 18You have had five husbands, and the man you

are living with now is not your husband. You have told thetruth.”

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19“Sir,” the woman responded, “I see that You are a prophet.20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain.66 You Jews,

however, say that Jerusalem is the place where men mustworship.”21“Believe Me, dear woman,” said Jesus, “the time is coming

when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22You worship what you do not know. We worshipwhat we know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet thetime is approaching, and is now here, when the true wor-shipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For theyare the kind of worshipers the Father desires. 24God is Spirit,

and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and intruth.”

25“I know that the Messiah is coming,” said the woman, “theOne who is called the Christ. When He comes, He will explaineverything to us.”

26 Jesus said to her, “I, the One who is speaking to you, amHe.”

27

At that moment His disciples returned, and they were sur-prised to find Him talking with the woman. But nobody daredto ask, “What do You want?” or “Why are You talking withher?” 28 Then the woman left her water jug, went into the town,and said to everyone, 29“Come, see a Man who told me every-thing that I have ever done. Could He possibly be the Christ?”30 Then the people left the town and went to see Jesus.

31In the meantime His disciples begged Him, saying, “Rabbi,

You should eat something.”32“I have food to eat that you do not know about,” He toldthem.

33“Did someone bring Him something to eat?” said the dis-ciples to one another.

34“My food,” explained Jesus, “is to do the will of Him whosent Me and to finish His work. 35Do you not say, ‘After fourmonths the harvest comes’? Look! I say to you, lift up youreyes and look at the fields, because they are ripe and ready to

harvest. 36

Already the reaper is receiving wages and gatheringfruit for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may

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rejoice together. 37For this saying is true: ‘one sows, anotherreaps.’ 38I sent you to reap what you have not laboured for.

Others have laboured for it, and you will share in their labour.”39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him

because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything thatI have ever done.” 40 The Samaritans came and asked Him tostay with them, so He stayed there for two days. 41And manymore believed because of the words He spoke.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just be-cause of what you said, for we ourselves have heard and know

that He is truly the Saviour of the world—the Christ!”43 Two days later, He left and went to Galilee. 44(Jesus Him-

self testified that a prophet has no honour in his own country.)45When He arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Himbecause of all the things they had seen Him do in Jerusalem atthe Passover Feast. For they, too, had been at the PassoverFeast.

46

Jesus went back to the town of Cana in Galilee, where Hehad turned the water into wine. Now in the town of Caper-naum there was a nobleman whose son was sick. 47When heheard that Jesus had returned from Judea to Galilee, he wentto Jesus and asked Him if He would come and heal his dyingson.

48“Unless you see signs and wonders,” Jesus remarked,“you will not believe.”

49“Sir,” begged the nobleman, “come to Capernaum before

my son dies.”50“Go,” replied Jesus, “your son will live.” And the man be-lieved what Jesus said and left. 51While he was on his way, hisslaves met him and said, “Your son is alive and well!”

52He asked them at what time his son had recovered.“The fever left him,” they said, “yesterday, at one o’clock in

the afternoon.”53 Then the father realized that this was the very hour when

Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his en-tire household believed. 54 This was the second miraculous signthat Jesus did in the town of Cana in Galilee—which He per-formed after He had come back from Judea.



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Some time after this, there was a Jewish feast, and Jesuswent down to Jerusalem. 2Near the Sheep Gate in Jeru-

salem there was a pool, which was called Bethesda in Aramaic.It had five covered porches. 3Lying under these porches were alarge number of the sick, the blind, the lame, and the para-lyzed, who were waiting for the stirring of the water. 4Every sooften, an angel came and stirred the water of the pool. Who-ever entered the pool first, after the stirring of the water, washealed of whatever disease they had. 5Now there was a manpresent who had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesussaw him lying there, He knew that he had been there for a long

time. So He asked him, “Do you want to be healed?”7“Sir,” the sick man replied, “I have no one to throw me intothe pool when the water is stirred. So when I try to enter,someone else gets in before me.”

8“Get up,” Jesus said to him, “pick up your mat and walk!”9Instantly the man was healed, and he picked up his mat andwalked.

Now, because this happened on the Sabbath, 10the Jewishleaders said to the man who was healed, “It is the Sabbath! It

is not lawful for you to carry your mat!”11But he replied, “The Man who healed me told me to pickup my mat and walk.”

12So they asked him, “Who is the Man who told you to pickup your mat and walk?” 13But the man who was healed had noidea, because Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.

14Later on Jesus found him in the temple and said to him,“Look! You have been healed. Sin no more, or else something

worse might happen to you.” 15

Then the man went to the Jewish leaders and told them that it was Jesus who hadhealed him. 16 Therefore the Jewish leaders persecuted Jesus,and sought to kill Him, because He had done this on theSabbath.

17 Jesus responded to them, “To this very day My Fathercontinues to work, and so must I.” 18Because of this, the Jew-ish leaders sought to kill Him all the more. For not only did He

break the Sabbath, but He also said that God was His Father— making Himself equal to God.

5





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the One He sent. 39You search the Scriptures, because youthink that in them you have eternal life, yet these very Scrip-

tures testify about Me. 40

But you refuse to come to Me, so that you may have life.

41“I do not accept man’s praise. 42But I know you, that youdo not have God’s love within you. 43I have come in My Father’sname, and you do not accept Me. But if someone else comes inhis own name, you will accept him. 44So how can you believewhen you accept praise from one another, but do not seek thepraise that comes from the one and only God?

45“Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father.Your accuser is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope.46If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, because Moseswrote about Me. 47But if you do not believe what he wrote, howwill you believe My words?”

Some time later, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the

Sea of Galilee (also called, the Sea of Tiberias). 2

A largecrowd followed Him, because they saw the miraculous signsthat He had performed on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on a hill-side and sat there with His disciples. 4(The Jewish PassoverFeast was drawing near.) 5When Jesus lifted up His eyes andsaw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip,“Where will we buy bread to feed these people?” 6 Jesus saidthis to test Philip, for He already knew what He was going todo.

7

Philip answered, “$16,000 worth of bread would not beenough for each of them to receive a little.”67

8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saidto Him, 9“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves andtwo fish, but how can that be enough for so many?”

67 “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough

for each of them to receive a little.” A denarius was a day’swages. In Canada where I am from, minimum wage is $10 anhour. $10×8hours=$80. So one day’s wages is $80(CAD).$80×200=$16,000. So two hundred denarii is $16,000(CAD).

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10“Have the people sit down,” said Jesus. There was plentyof grass in that spot. So the people sat down, about five thou-sand in number. 11 Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, andgave them to the disciples. The disciples handed them out, aswell as the fish, giving those sitting down as much as theydesired. 12When they were filled, Jesus said to His disciples,“Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing is wasted.”13 Then they gathered up the leftover pieces of the five barleyloaves that the people had eaten, filling up twelve baskets.

14When the people saw this miraculous sign, which Jesushad performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is tocome into the world.” 15 Jesus, well aware that they were goingto grab Him and make Him king, withdrew again to the hillsideby Himself.

16When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea.17It was already dark, but Jesus had not yet joined them. Theygot into the boat and began to cross the sea to Capernaum. 18Astrong wind began blowing and the sea became choppy.19When they had rowed for about three or four miles, they saw

Jesus walking on the sea. As He approached the boat, theybecame terrified. 20“It is I!” said Jesus. “Do not be afraid!”21 Then they willingly took Him into the boat, and instantly theboat reached its destination.

22 The next day the crowd stood on the other side of the seawaiting for Jesus. They had seen that Jesus and His discipleshad arrived in one boat, and that His disciples had left in theboat without Him. 23Some boats came from the city of Tiberias,which is near the place where they had eaten the loaves afterthe Lord had given thanks. 24When the crowd saw that neither

Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats andwent to the town of Capernaum to look for Jesus.

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

26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you arelooking for Me not because of the miraculous signs that yousaw, but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 27Do notwork for food that perishes, but for food that lasts to eternal



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life, which the Son of Man will give to you. On Him God theFather has placed His seal of approval.”

28“What does God want us to do?” they asked Him.29“What God wants you to do,” Jesus replied, “is to believe

in the One He sent.”

30“What miraculous sign will You perform,” they asked, “sothat we can see it and believe You? What will You do? 31Ourfathers ate manna in the wilderness, as it is written,

‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”(Psalm 78:24)

32 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, My Father wasthe One who gave them the bread from heaven, not Moses. Butnow My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 Thetrue bread of God is the One who comes down from heavenand gives life to the world.”

34“Sir,” they said, “give us this bread all the time.”35“I am the Bread of Life,” said Jesus. “Whoever comes to

Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will neverthirst. 36But as I told you before, you have seen Me and still donot believe. 37Everyone the Father gives to Me will come to Me,and I will never turn away anyone who comes to Me. 38For Ihave come down from heaven not to do My own will, but thewill of Him who sent Me. 39And this is the will of the Fatherwho sent Me: that I should not lose anyone He has given Me,but that I should raise them up on the last day. 40Indeed, thisis the will of Him who sent Me: that all who see the Son andbelieve in Him should have eternal life, and that I will raisehim up on the last day.”

41 Then the Jews started complaining about Him, becauseHe said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 Theysaid, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father andmother we know? So how can He say, ‘I came down fromheaven’?”

43“Stop complaining among yourselves,” replied Jesus. 44“Noone can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him,and I will raise him up on the last day. 45It is written in the



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Prophets,

‘And they will all be taught by God.’ (Isaiah 54:13)

Therefore, everyone who hears and learns from the Fathercomes to Me. 46Nobody has seen the Father except the Onewho is from God—only He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, Isay to you, he who believes in Me has eternal life. 48I am theBread of Life. 49Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness anddied. 50But whoever eats this bread, which comes down from

heaven, will never die. 51

I am the Living Bread that has comedown from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of theworld.”

52 Then the Jews argued with one another, saying, “How canHe give us His flesh to eat?”

53 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless youeat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have

no life in you. 54

Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My bloodhas eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55Myflesh truly is food, and My blood truly is drink. 56Whoever eatsMy flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him. 57 Justas the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father,so the one who feasts on Me will live because of Me. 58Whoevereats this bread, which came down from heaven, will liveforever—unlike the manna that your fathers ate and died.”59 Jesus said this while teaching in the synagogue in the town

of Capernaum.60When they heard this, many of His disciples said, “This

message is absurd. Who can accept it?”61When Jesus knew within Himself that His disciples were

complaining about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62What if you were to see the Son of Man going up towhere He was before? 63It is the Spirit that gives life; the fleshprofits nothing. The very words I have spoken to you are spiritand life, 64 yet some of you refuse to believe.” Jesus knew fromthe beginning which ones would not believe, and which onewould betray Him. 65 Jesus went on to say, “That is why I told

you that no one can come to Me unless the Father draws him.”



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66From that time on, many of His disciples turned away andno longer followed Him. 67“Do you want to leave too?” Jesus

asked the twelve.68“Lord,” Simon Peter answered, “to whom would we go? Youhave the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that Youare the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

70 Jesus replied, “Did I not choose the twelve of you, and yetone of you is a devil?” 71He was speaking about Judas Iscariot,the son of Simon, who was one of the twelve disciples—the onewho was going to betray Him.

After this Jesus went throughout Galilee, avoiding Judeabecause the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Him. 2Now the

Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was drawing near. 3 Therefore Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, sothat Your disciples can see the works You are doing. 4 Thosewho desire to be in the public eye do not hide what they cando. If You can do these things, then show Yourself to theworld.” 5For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

6

“My time has not yet come,” replied Jesus, “but for you anytime is right. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me,because I testify that its works are evil. 8You go down to thefeast. I am not going right now, because the right time for Mehas not yet come.” 9Having said this, He stayed behind inGalilee.

10But after His brothers left, He also went down to thefeast—not openly, but secretly. 11 The Jewish leaders were

looking for Him at the feast, saying, “Where is He?” 12

Therewas a lot of whispering about Him among the crowds. Somesaid, “He is a good Man.” While others said, “No, He deceivesthe people.” 13But no one spoke publicly about Him, becausethey feared the Jewish leaders.

14Halfway through the feast, Jesus went up to the templeand began to teach. 15 The Jewish leaders marvelled, saying,“How does He know the Scriptures so well without an

education?”16“My teaching is not My own,” said Jesus. “It is from Himwho sent Me. 17Whoever wants to do God’s will, will know

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whether this teaching is from God or whether I speak on Myown. 18He who speaks on his own authority seeks his own

glory. But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him— He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. 19Has notMoses given you the law? Yet none of you keep the law—if youdid, then why are you trying to kill Me?”

20“You have a demon!” the crowd replied. “Who is trying tokill You?”

21“I did one miracle,” said Jesus, “and you all marvelled.22Moses gave you circumcision, and so you circumcise a manon the Sabbath—although circumcision did not originate with

Moses, but with the patriarchs. 23

So if a man can be circum-cised on the Sabbath, to avoid breaking the law of Moses, thenwhy are you angry with Me for making a man completely wholeon the Sabbath? 24Do not judge only by what you see, butmake righteous judgments.”

25Some of the residents of Jerusalem said, “This is the Manthey want to kill, is it not? 26But, look! He is speaking publicly,and they have not said a word to Him. Maybe our leaders have

discovered that He truly is the Christ? 27

But we know whereHe is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where Heis from.”

28As Jesus was teaching in the temple, He cried out andsaid, “You know Me! You know where I am from! I have notcome on My own—but He who sent Me is true, and you do notknow Him! 29But I know Him, because I am from Him, and Hesent Me!”

30

They wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid a hand on Himbecause His time had not yet come. 31But many in the crowdbelieved in Him and said, “When the Christ comes, will He domore miraculous signs than this Man?”

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these thingsabout Him. So the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officersto arrest Him.

33“I am with you for a little while longer,” said Jesus, “and

then I will go back to Him who sent Me. 34

You will look for Me,but you will not find Me. And where I go, you cannot come.”35 The Jews said to one another, “Where will He go, if we will

not be able to find Him? Will He go to those who are scattered



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among the Greeks, and teach the Greek-speaking Jews? 36Whatdoes He mean when He says, ‘You will look for Me, but you will

not find Me,’ and ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”37On the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus

stood up and cried out, saying,

“If any man is thirsty,let him come to Me and drink!

38“Whoever believes in Me,

as the Scriptures declare,rivers of living water will flowfrom his innermost being!”

39 Jesus was speaking about the Spirit, whom those believingin Him were about to receive. For the Holy Spirit had not yetbeen given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

40When the crowd heard these words, many of them said,

“This is truly the Prophet.” 41

Others said, “This is the Christ.”But others said, “How can the Christ come out of Galilee?42Does not the Scriptures say that the Christ will be a de-scendant of David, from the town of Bethlehem where Davidlived?” 43So the crowd was divided because of Him. 44Some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him.

45 Then the officers returned to the chief priests and thePharisees. “Why did you not bring Him in?” they demanded.

46

“We have never heard anyone talk like this before,” repliedthe officers.47“Have you also been deceived?” said the Pharisees. 48“Have

any of the leaders or the Pharisees believed in Him? 49As forthis crowd, they are ignorant of the law and are under God’scurse.”

50Nicodemus, one of the Jewish leaders—the one who hadcome to see Jesus at night—said to them, 51“Does our law con-

demn a man without first giving him a hearing to find out whathe has done?”



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52“Are you also from Galilee?” they remarked. “Search the Scrip-tures and you will see that no prophet comes out of Galilee!”53

After this everyone left and went home.

Jesus, however, went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in themorning He returned to the temple. All the people came to

Him, and He sat down and taught them. 3 The teachers of thelaw and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caughtin adultery, and stood her in front of everyone. 4 They said to

Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.5

In the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Sowhat do You say?” 6 They said this to trap Him, so that theycould bring charges against Him.

But Jesus stooped down, as if He never heard them, andwrote on the ground with His finger. 7When they continuedquestioning Him, He straightened up and said to them,“Whoever among you is without sin, let him throw the firststone at her.”

8And once again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.9

Those who heard this were convicted by their conscience andleft one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus wasleft with the woman still standing there. 10When Jesusstraightened up and saw no one but the woman, He said toher, “Dear woman, where are your accusers? Has no onecondemned you?”

11She replied, “No one, Sir.” Jesus said to her, “Then I do not condemn you either. Go,

and sin no more.”

12 Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, butwill have the light of life.”

13 Then the Pharisees said to Him, “You testify about Your-self, so Your testimony is not valid.”

14 Jesus answered them, “Even if I testify about Myself, Mytestimony is valid, because I know where I came from andwhere I am going. But you do not know where I come from or

where I am going. 15

You judge according to the flesh; I judgeno one. 16But even if I judge, My judgment is true, because Iam not alone—for the Father who sent Me is with Me. 17It isalso written in your Law that the testimony of two men is valid.

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18I testify about Myself, and the Father who sent Me also test-ifies about Me.”

19“Where is Your Father?” they asked.“You do not know Me or My Father,” Jesus answered. “If

you knew Me, you would also know My Father.” 20 Jesus spokethese words in the treasury, while He was teaching in thetemple. No one arrested Him, because His time had not yetcome.

21“I am going away,” Jesus said again. “You will look for Me,

and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannotcome.”22“Will He kill Himself?” said the Jewish leaders. “Is that

why He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”23“You are from below,” Jesus said to them, “I am from

above. You are from this world, I am not from this world.24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless

you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

25

Then they asked Him, “Who are You?” Jesus answered, “I am exactly who I have been claiming tobe all along. 26I have much to say in judgment of you. But theOne who sent Me is true, and what I have heard from Him Itell the world.” 27 They did not realize that He was speaking tothem about the Father. 28So Jesus said to them, “When you liftup the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am He and thatI do nothing on My own but only speak what the Father hastaught Me. 29He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not

left Me alone, for I always do the things that please Him.” 30

AsHe spoke these words, many believed in Him.

31 To the Jews who believed in Him, Jesus said, “If youcontinue in My word, you are truly My disciples. 32And you willknow the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33“We are Abraham’s descendants!” they responded. “Wehave never been anyone’s slaves! So how can You say, ‘You willbe set free’?”

34

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoeversins is a slave to sin. 35A slave does not remain in the familyforever, but a son remains forever. 36So if the Son sets youfree, you are free indeed. 37I know that you are Abraham’s



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descendants. Yet you are trying to kill Me, because My wordhas no place in you. 38I speak of what I have seen in My

Father’s presence, and you do what you have seen from yourfather.”

39“Our father is Abraham,” they replied.“If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus said, “you would do

the works that Abraham did. 40But you are trying to kill Me, aMan who has told you the truth—the truth that I have heardfrom God. Abraham did not do such things! 41You do theworks of your father!”

“We are not illegitimate children!” they exclaimed. “We haveone Father, and that is God!”42“If God were your Father,” replied Jesus, “you would love

Me, because I came here from God. I did not come on My own,but God sent Me. 43Why do you not understand what I amsaying? It is because you are unable to hear My message.44You belong to your father, the devil! And you are determinedto carry out your father’s desires, for he was a murderer fromthe beginning! He has never stood for the truth, because there

is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks what comesnaturally to him. He is a liar, and the father of lies. 45But be-cause I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46Which one of

you convicts Me of sin? And if I speak the truth, why do younot believe Me? 47 Those who belong to God listen to God’swords. But you do not hear them, because you do not belongto God.”

48“We said it right,” replied the Jewish leaders, “You are a

Samaritan and are demon-possessed!”49“I am not demon-possessed,” responded Jesus, “but I hon-our My Father and you dishonour Me. 50I do not seek My ownglory, but there is One who seeks it, and He is the Judge.51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word, he willnever see death.”

52“Now we know that You are demon-possessed!” exclaimedthe Jewish leaders. “Abraham died, as did the prophets, and

You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.’ 53Are You greater than our father, Abraham, who died? Theprophets died as well. Who do You think You are?”





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put it on my eyes, then He told me to go and wash in the poolof Siloam. So I went and washed myself, and I received my

sight!”12 Then they asked him, “Where is He?” The man replied, “I do not know.”

13 Then they brought the man who had been blind to thePharisees— 14for Jesus had made the mud and opened his eyeson the Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees asked him how hehad received his sight.

The man said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed,

and now I can see.”16 Then some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not fromGod, because He does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others said, “How can a sinner do such miraculoussigns?” So they were divided.

17 They questioned the man again, “What do you have to sayabout Him, since He opened your eyes?”

“He is a prophet,” the man replied.

18

The Jewish leaders did not believe that he had been blindand had received his sight, until they summoned his parents19and asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was bornblind? How is it that he can now see?”

20His parents answered, “We know that he is our son, andthat he was born blind. 21But as to how he can see now, orwho it was who opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age—ask him. He can speak for himself.” 22His parents saidthis because they feared the Jewish leaders, who had already

agreed that they would expel anyone from the synagogue whoconfessed Him as Christ. 23 That is why his parents said, “He isof age—ask him.”

24 They summoned the man who had been blind a secondtime, and said to him, “Give glory to God, because we knowthat this Man is a sinner.”

25“Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know,” replied theman. “All I know is this: I once was blind, but now I see!”

26

“What did He do to you?” they asked him again. “How didHe open your eyes?”



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27“I told you already,” answered the man, “but you did notlisten. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to

become His disciples too?”28 Then they insulted him and said, “You are His disciple,but we are disciples of Moses. 29We know that God spoke toMoses, but as for this Man, we do not know where He is from.”

30“Now that is astonishing!” the man exclaimed. “You do notknow where He is from, yet He opened my eyes! 31We knowthat God does not listen to sinners. On the contrary, He listensto God-fearing people who do His will. 32Since the world began,nobody has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of someone

born blind. 33

If this Man were not from God, He could donothing.”34“You were born full of sin,” they said, “and you are trying

to teach us?” And they threw him out.

35When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, Hefound the man and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

36 The man answered, “Who is He, Sir, so that I can believe

in Him?”37 Jesus said to Him, “You have seen Him. In fact, He istalking to you right now.”

38“Lord,” the man said, “I believe!” And he worshiped Him.

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, sothat those who do not see may see, and those who see maybecome blind.”

40Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this and

asked, “Are we also blind?”41“If you were blind,” answered Jesus, “you would have nosin. But since you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter thesheep pen through the gate, but climbs in some other

way, he is a thief and a bandit. 2But He who enters throughthe gate is the Shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens

the gate for Him, and the sheep hear His voice. He calls Hisown sheep by name and leads them out. 4When He leads Hissheep out, He goes in front of them, and the sheep follow Him

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because they know His voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger,but will flee from him, because they do not know the stranger’s

voice.”6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand

what He was talking to them about. 7So Jesus said to themagain, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the Gate for the sheep.8All who came before Me were thieves and bandits, but thesheep did not listen to them. 9I am the Gate! If anyone entersthrough Me, he will be saved, and he will go in and out, andwill find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal, kill, and

destroy. However, I have come so that they may have lifeabundantly.

11“I am the Good Shepherd! The Good Shepherd lays downHis life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd,and the sheep are not his own. So when he sees a wolf coming,he forsakes the sheep and flees. Then the wolf attacks thesheep and scatters them. 13He flees because he is a hired handand does not care about the sheep. 14I am the Good Shepherd!

I know My sheep, and they know Me— 15

just as the Fatherknows Me, and I know the Father—and I lay down My life forthe sheep. 16I have other sheep that are not from this pen. Imust lead them too. They will listen to My voice, and there willbe one flock and one Shepherd.

17“My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, that Imay take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay itdown voluntarily. I have authority to lay it down, and I have

authority to take it up again. This commandment I receivedfrom My Father.”

19 These words caused even more division among the Jews.20And many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and out of His mind! Why listen to Him?”

21Others said, “These are not the words of someone who isdemon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

22

It was now winter and the Feast of Dedication70

was beingcelebrated in Jerusalem. 23As Jesus was in the temple walking

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in Solomon’s porch, 24the Jewish leaders surrounded Him andasked, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the

Christ, tell us plainly.”25 Jesus answered them, “I have told you, but you do notbelieve Me. The works that I do in My Father’s name testifyabout Me, 26but you do not believe because you are not Mysheep. 27My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and theyfollow Me. 28I give them eternal life. They will never perish, andno one can steal them out of My hand. 29My Father, who hasgiven them to Me, is greater than all, and no one can stealthem out of My Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

31Once again the Jewish leaders picked up stones to stoneHim. 32But Jesus responded, “I have shown you many goodworks from My Father. So which of these works are you goingto stone Me for?”

33 The Jewish leaders answered Him, “We are not stoningYou for any good works, but for blasphemy—because You, amere man, claim to be God.”

34 Jesus replied, “Is it not written in your law,

‘I have said you are gods’?(Psalm 82:6)

35So if the men, to whom this word of God was directed at,were called ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be altered— 36thenhow can you say that the One whom the Father has sanctifiedand sent into the world is guilty of blasphemy, just because Isaid, ‘I am the Son of God’?

37“If I do not do the works of My Father, then do not believeMe. 38But if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believethe works, so that you may know and believe that the Father isin Me, and that I am in Him.” 39Once again they wanted toarrest Him, but He escaped from their hands.

40 Jesus crossed over to the east side of the Jordan Riveronce again, to the place where John first started baptizing.

Jesus stayed there, 41

and many people came to Him.“John never did any miraculous signs,” they said, “but eve-rything John said about this Man was true.” 42And many be-lieved in Him there.



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Now there was a man by the name of Lazarus who hadbecome sick. He was from the town of Bethany, where

Mary and her sister Martha lived. 2

(This was the same Marywho anointed the Lord with fragrant oil, and wiped His feetwith her hair—it was her brother Lazarus who was sick.) 3Hissisters sent for Jesus, saying, “Lord, look! The one whom Youlove is sick.”

4When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will notend in death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of Godmay be glorified through it.”

5

Now Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary, and Lazarus.6Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed two moredays in the place where He was at. 7 Then Jesus said to Hisdisciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

8“Rabbi,” replied His disciples, “the Jewish leaders wantedto stone You, and You are going back again?”

9“Are there not twelve hours of daylight?” said Jesus. “Who-ever walks in the daylight will not stumble, because they seethe light of this world. 10But whoever walks in the night stum-

bles, because there is no light for them to see.”11After Jesus said this, He added, “Our friend Lazarus is

sleeping, but I am going there to wake him up.”12“Lord,” replied His disciples, “if he is sleeping, he will

recover.”13His disciples thought He was talking about sleep, when

Jesus was actually talking about his death. 14So Jesus toldthem plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15And for your sakes I am glad

that I was not there, so that you may believe. Now let us go tohim.”16 Then Thomas (whose name means “twin”), said to his

fellow disciples, “Let us go too, so that we may die with Him.”

17When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had alreadybeen in the tomb for four days. 18Now the town of Bethany wasabout two miles from Jerusalem, 19and many of the Jews hadcome to comfort Martha and Mary concerning their brother.20

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out tomeet Him. Mary, meanwhile, was sitting in the house.

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21“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if You would have beenhere, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know

that God will give You whatever You ask Him.”23“Your brother will rise again,” said Jesus.24“I know he will rise again,” replied Martha, “in the resur-

rection at the last day.”25“I am the Resurrection and the Life,” Jesus said to her.

“Whoever believes in Me will live, even if he dies, 26and every-one who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believethis?”

27“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that You are the Christ,

the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”28After saying this, Martha went back and secretly called

her sister Mary. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and He iscalling for you.” 29As soon as Mary heard this, she quickly gotup and went to Him. 30 Jesus had not yet come into town, butwas still at the place where Martha had met Him. 31When the

Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw how quicklyshe got up and left, they followed her, saying, “She is going to

weep at the tomb.”32When Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw

Him, she fell down at His feet and said to Him, “Lord, if Youwould have been here, my brother would not have died.”

33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who hadcome with her weeping also, He was deeply moved in spirit andtroubled. 34“Where have you laid him?” He asked.

“Lord,” they replied, “come and see.”35

Jesus wept.36So the Jews said, “See how He loved him.”37But some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened

the eyes of the blind, have prevented him from dying?”

38When Jesus came to the tomb, He was deeply moved onceagain. The tomb was a cave, and a stone covered the entrance.39“Remove the stone,” Jesus said.

“Lord,” said Martha, the dead man’s sister, “by now there

will be a terrible smell. He has been dead for four days.”40“Did I not tell you,” said Jesus, “that if you believe you willsee the glory of God?” 41So they removed the stone from thetomb where Lazarus was laid. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes,





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Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to the townof Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had

raised from the dead. 2

They prepared a meal for Him there inHis honour. Martha served, while Lazarus was one of thosesitting at the table with Jesus. 3 Then Mary took a pound of fra-grant oil, made of pure nard. It was very expensive. And sheanointed Jesus’ feet with it, and then wiped His feet dry withher hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

4 Then Judas Iscariot (the disciple who was later to betrayHim) said, 5“Why was this fragrant oil not sold for $24,000,71

and given to the poor?” 6He said this not because he cared for

the poor, but because he was a thief. He was in charge of themoneybag, and would help himself to what was put into it.7“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “She has kept this for the

day of My burial. 8You will always have the poor among you,but you will not always have Me.”

9A large number of the Jews heard that Jesus was thereand went to see Him, and also to see Lazarus whom He raisedfrom the dead. 10 Therefore the chief priests decided to kill

Lazarus too. 11

For on account of him many of the Jews wereleaving them and believing in Jesus.

12 The next day those attending the feast heard that Jesuswas coming to Jerusalem. So a large crowd 13took palm branch-es and went out to meet Him, crying out,

“Hosanna!Blessed is He who comes

in the name of the Lord,the King of Israel!”(Psalm 118:25-26)

14After finding a young donkey Jesus sat on it, just as it iswritten,

71 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred

denarii, and given to the poor?” A denarius was a day’s wages.In Canada where I am from, minimum wage is $10 an hour.$10×8hours=$80. So one day’s wages is $80(CAD). $80×300=$24,000. So three hundred denarii is $24,000(CAD).

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15“Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion!Look! Your King is coming,

sitting on a donkey’s colt.”(Zechariah 9:9)

16His disciples did not understand these things at first.However, after Jesus was glorified, they remembered thatthese things had been written about Him, and that thesethings had been done to Him.

17Now the crowd that was with Jesus when He called

Lazarus from the tomb, and raised him from the dead, wentaround testifying about Him. 18 That is why the crowd went outto meet Him, because they heard that He had performed thismiraculous sign. 19At this, the Pharisees said to one another,“See, we are getting nowhere. Look, the whole world has goneafter Him!”

20Among those who had come to worship at the feast weresome Greeks. 21 They came up to Philip, who was from the town

of Bethsaida in Galilee. “Sir,” they said, “we want to see Jesus.” 22So Philip went and told Andrew, and then Andrewand Philip went and told Jesus.

23 Jesus said to them, “The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grainof wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains only a singleseed. But if it dies, it will produce an abundant harvest. 25Hewho loves his life will lose it, but he who hates his life in this

world will preserve it for eternal life. 26

If any man serves Me, hemust follow Me. And where I am, there My servant will be also.And if any man serves Me, My Father will honour him.

27“Now My heart is troubled, and what should I say?‘Father, save Me from this hour of trial’? No, it is for this hourthat I have come. 28Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voicecame from heaven and said, “I have glorified it, and I willglorify it again.”

29

Upon hearing this, some in the crowd said, “It thundered.”While others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”30 Jesus answered, “This voice came for your sake, not Mine.

31Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this



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world will be cast out. 32And when I am lifted up from theearth, I will draw all men to Me.” 33He said this to indicate

what kind of death He would die.34 The crowd responded, “We have heard from the Law that

the Christ will live forever, so how can You say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”

35 Then Jesus said to them, “For a little while longer theLight is with you. Walk while you have the Light, so that thedarkness does not overtake you. The one who walks in thedarkness does not know where he is going. 36While you have

the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may be children of the Light.” After saying these things, Jesus left and hid fromthem.

37Even though He had done many miraculous signs in theirpresence, they still did not believe in Him. 38 This was to fulfillthe word of Isaiah the prophet, when he said:

“Lord, who has believed our report?

And to whom has the arm of the Lordbeen revealed?”(Isaiah 53:1)

39 They could not believe, just as Isaiah said again:

40“He has blinded their eyes,and hardened their hearts.

For this reason they cannot see

with their eyes,or understand with their hearts.If they did, they would turn to Me,

and I would heal them.”(Isaiah 6:10)

41Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke aboutHim.

42

Now many of the leaders believed in Him. But they did notconfess Him, because they feared that the Pharisees would ex-pel them from the synagogue. 43 This was because they lovedthe praise of men more than the praise of God.



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44 Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in Me, doesnot believe in Me, but in Him who sent Me! 45And whoever sees

Me, sees Him who sent Me. 46

I have come into the world as alight, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain indarkness. 47If anyone hears My words and does not believe, Ido not judge him—for I came not to judge the world, but tosave it. 48He who rejects Me and does not accept My words hasone who judges him: the very words that I have spoken will

judge him on the last day. 49I have not spoken on My own, butthe Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say andhow to say it. 50And I know that His commands bring eternal

life. Therefore I say exactly what the Father has told Me tosay.”

It was just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knewthat His time had come to leave this world and return

to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, Heloved them to the end.

2

It was now supper, and the devil had already put into theheart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Jesus.3 Jesus knew that the Father had placed everything into Hishands, and that He had come from God and was going back toGod. 4 Therefore He got up from the table, removed His outergarments, and wrapped a towel around His waist. 5 Then Hepoured some water into a basin and began to wash the dis-ciples’ feet, wiping them dry with the towel that was wrappedaround Him.

6He then came to Simon Peter. “Lord,” asked Peter, “are Yougoing to wash my feet?”

7“You do not know what I am doing now,” answered Jesus,“but you will know later on.”

8“No,” said Peter, “You will never wash my feet!”“Unless I wash you,” replied Jesus, “you have no fellowship

with Me.”9“Lord,” said Simon Peter, “not only my feet, but also my

hands and my head.”10 Jesus said, “Those who have bathed are completely cleanand only need to wash their feet. You are clean, but not all of

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you.” 11For He knew who would betray Him. That is why Hesaid, “Not all of you are clean.”

12After He had washed their feet and put on His garments,He returned to His seat and said to them, “Do you know what Ihave done for you? 13You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and youare right, for that is what I am. 14Now if I, your Lord and

Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one an-other’s feet. 15Since I have given you this example, you shoulddo the same as I have done for you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you,a slave is not greater than his master, or a messenger greater

than the one who sent him. 17

If you know these things, youwill be blessed if you do them.

18“I am not referring to all of you—I know the ones I havechosen. But this must happen to fulfill the Scripture:

‘The one eating bread with Mehas lifted up his heel against Me.’ (Psalm 41:9)

19I am telling you this now before it happens, so that when itdoes happen you will believe that I am He. 20 Truly, truly, I sayto you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts Me, and who-ever accepts Me accepts the One who sent Me.”

21After Jesus had said this, He was troubled in spirit, andtestified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”

22 Then the disciples looked at one another, puzzled as to

who He was talking about. 23

Now one of His disciples, whomHe loved, was sitting by His side. 24So Simon Peter motioned tohim to ask Jesus whom He was talking about. 25 Then leaninginto Jesus, he asked Him, “Lord, who is it?”

26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give thispiece of bread once I have dipped it into the bowl.” Then Hedipped the bread and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27As soon as Judas took the bread, satan entered intohim. “What you are about to do,” said Jesus to him, “do

quickly.” 28

But no one at the table knew what He meant.29 They thought that, since Judas was in charge of the money-bag, Jesus was telling him to buy supplies for the feast, or to



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give something to the poor. 30After taking the bread, Judas leftat once. It was night.

31After he was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glo-rified, and God is glorified in Him. 32If God is glorified in Him,God will glorify the Son in Himself, and will glorify Him imme-diately. 33Little children, I am with you for a little while longer.You will look for Me, but as I told the Jewish leaders, ‘Where Iam going, you cannot come.’

34“I am giving you a new commandment: love one another.

Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. 35

If you love one another, everyone will know that you are Mydisciples.”

36“Lord,” asked Simon Peter, “where are You going?”“Where I am going,” answered Jesus, “you cannot follow

now, but you will follow later.”37“Lord,” Peter asked, “why can I not follow You now? I will

lay down my life for You.”38

Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, before the rooster crows, you willdeny Me three times.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, andbelieve in Me also. 2In My Father’s house there are

many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. Iam going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and

prepare a place for you, I will come back again and will take you with Me, so that where I am you may be also. 4You knowwhere I am going, and you know the way.”

5“Lord,” Thomas said to Him, “we do not know where Youare going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and theLife. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7If youreally knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now

on you do know Him, and have seen Him.”8“Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father and that will be

good enough for us.”

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9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know Me? Whoever has seen Me has seen the

Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10

Do younot believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is inMe? The words that I speak to you do not come from Me, butfrom the Father who lives and works in Me. 11Believe Me whenI say that I am in the Father and that the Father is in Me. If not, then believe Me on account of the works that I do. 12 Truly,truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do theworks that I do. In fact, they will do even greater works thanthese, because I am going to My Father. 13I will do whatever

you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in theSon. 14If you ask for anything in My name, I will do it.

15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 16I willask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, whowill stay with you forever— 17the Spirit of Truth, whom theworld cannot receive, because it does not see Him or knowHim. But you know Him, because He lives with you, and willbe in you. 18I will not forsake you like orphans. On the con-

trary, I will come back for you. 19

Soon the world will no longersee Me, but you will see Me. And because I live, you will livealso. 20In that day you will know that I am in My Father, andthat you are in Me, and that I am in you. 21Whoever has Mycommandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.Whoever loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will lovehim and will reveal Myself to him.”

22 Then Judas Lebbaeus (also called Thaddaeus), asked Him,

“Lord, how is it that You will show Yourself to us and not tothe world?”23“If anyone loves Me,” Jesus said, “he will keep My word.

Then My Father will love him, and We will come to him andwill make Our home with him. 24 Those who do not love Me, donot keep My words. And the words that you hear are not Mine,but the Father’s who sent Me.

25“I have said these things to you while I am still here with

you. 26

But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father willsend in My name, will teach you all things and will remind youof everything that I have told you.



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27“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, such asthe world cannot give. So do not let your hearts be troubled or

afraid. 28

You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, but I will comeback for you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced when Isaid, ‘I am going to the Father.’ For My Father is greater than I.29I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when itdoes happen, you will believe. 30I will not speak to you formuch longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He hasnothing on Me. 31But I will do as My Father has commandedMe, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Now getup, let us go.

“I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.2He cuts off every branch in Me that does not bear

fruit. And He cleanses every branch that bears fruit, pruning itso that it can bear even more fruit. 3As for yourselves, you arealready clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.4Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. Just as the branch can-not bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, neither

can you unless you abide in Me.5“I am the Vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in

Me, and I in you, then you will bear much fruit. But apart fromMe, you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in Me, he islike a withered branch that is thrown away. All such branchesare gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.

7“If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, ask for

whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8

My Father isglorified in this: that you bear much fruit, and so prove to beMy disciples.

9“Just as the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Nowabide in My love. 10If you keep My commandments you willabide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s command-ments and abide in His love. 11I have told you this so that My

joy may abide in you, and so that your joy may be full.

12“My commandment is this: that you love one another, justas I have loved you. 13Greater love has no man than this: thathe lays down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends if you

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do what I command you. 15I no longer call you slaves, becausea slave does not know what his master is doing. Instead, I have

called you friends, for everything that I have heard from MyFather I have revealed to you. 16You have not chosen Me, but Ihave chosen you and have appointed you to go out and bearfruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever youask for in My name. 17 These commandments I have given to

you, so that you will love one another.

18“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me first.19If you belonged to the world, you would be loved by the

world. But you do not belong to the world, because I chose youout of the world, and for this reason the world hates you.20Remember what I told you: ‘A slave is not greater than hismaster.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have kept My word, they will also keep yours. 21 They willdo all these things to you because of My name, for they do notknow the One who sent Me.

22“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be

guilty of sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23

Who-ever hates Me, also hates My Father. 24If I had not done theworks among them that nobody else did, they would not beguilty of sin. But now they have seen and hated both Me andMy Father. 25However, this is to fulfill the word that is writtenin their Law: ‘They hated Me for no reason.’ 72

26“When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you fromthe Father—the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father—

He will testify about Me. 27

And you also will testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

“I have told you this so that you do not stumble andlose your faith. 2You will be expelled from the syna-

gogues. In fact, the time is coming when those who kill you willthink that they are doing God a service. 3 They will do thesethings to you because they do not know the Father or Me. 4I

have told you all of this so that when these things happen, you

72 Psalm 35:19, 69:4

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will remember that I warned you about them. I never told youabout these things in the beginning, because I was with you.

5“But now I am going back to Him who sent Me, yet none of you asks Me where I am going. 6And now your hearts are filledwith grief because of what I have said. 7Nevertheless, I tell youthe truth: it is better for you that I go away, because if I do notgo away, the Comforter will not come to you. But if I go, I willsend Him to you. 8When He comes, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9of sin, becausethey do not believe in Me; 10of righteousness, because I am

going to My Father, and you will no longer see Me; 11

of judg-ment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

12“I have so much more to tell you, but you cannot bear itnow. 13However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide

you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, but He willspeak what He hears, and He will show you things to come.14He will glorify Me, because He will take of what is Mine andwill show it to you. 15All that the Father has is Mine. That is

why I said, ‘He will take of what is Mine and will show it to you.’

16“In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a littlewhile you will see Me again, because I am going to the Father.”

17 Then His disciples said to one another, “What does Hemean when He says, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, andthen after a little while you will see Me again,’ and, ‘Because Iam going to the Father’?” 18 They kept saying, “What does He

mean when He says, ‘In a little while’? We do not understandwhat He is saying.”

19Since Jesus knew they wanted to ask Him about this, Hesaid to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant whenI said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after alittle while you will see Me again’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you,

you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You willgrieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21When a woman is about

to give birth, she experiences pain. But when her baby is bornshe forgets the pain, because she is happy that a child has



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been born into the world. 22In the same way, you are full of grief now. But I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice,

and nobody will take your joy away from you.23“On that day you will not ask Me for anything. Truly, truly,

I say to you, whatever you ask the Father for in My name, Hewill give it to you. 24So far you have not asked for anything inMy name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be full.

25“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is com-ing when I will no longer do so. Instead, I will tell you plainly

about the Father. 26

When that day comes you will ask in Myname. In saying this, I do not mean that I will ask the Fatheron your behalf. 27On the contrary, the Father Himself loves youbecause you have loved Me and have believed that I came fromGod. 28I came from the Father and entered the world. Now I amleaving the world and returning to the Father.”

29“See,” said His disciples, “now You are speaking plainlyand not in riddles. 30Now we know that You know all things.

For You know our questions even before we ask them—for thisreason, we believe that You came from God.”

31“Now do you believe?” replied Jesus. 32“Look! The time iscoming, and is already here, when you will be scattered, eachto his own home. You will leave Me, and I will be alone. Yet Iam not alone, because My Father is with Me. 33I have saidthese things to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In thisworld you will have tribulation. But take courage! I have over-

come the world!”

After Jesus said this, He lifted up His eyes to heavenand said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify Your Son,

so that Your Son may glorify You. 2For You have given Him au-thority over all people, so that He might give eternal life to allthose You have given to Him. 3And this is eternal life: to knowYou, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You sent. 4I

have brought You glory on earth by accomplishing the workthat You gave Me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify Me in Your

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presence with the glory that I shared with You before the worldbegan.

6“I have revealed Your name to the men whom You gave toMe from this world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me,and they have obeyed Your word. 7Now they know that every-thing You have given to Me comes from You. 8For I have giventhem the words You gave to Me, and they have accepted them.

They know that I have truly come from You, and they believethat You have sent Me. 9I am praying for them. I am notpraying for the world but for those You have given to Me,

because they are Yours. 10

All that is Mine is Yours, and all thatis Yours is Mine. And My glory is shown through these men. 11Iwill no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and Iam coming back to You. Holy Father, protect those You havegiven to Me by Your name, so that they may be one as We areone. 12While I was with them in the world, I protected them inYour name. Those You have given to Me I have guarded, andnone of them has been lost except for the son of destruction,so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

13“And now I am coming to You, but I am saying these thingswhile I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full inthem. 14I have given them Your word and the world has hatedthem, because they do not belong to this world, just as I do notbelong to this world. 15I am not praying that You will takethem out of this world, but that You will protect them from theevil one. 16 They do not belong to this world, just as I do notbelong to this world. 17Sanctify them through Your truth—Your

word is truth. 18

Just as You have sent Me into the world, Ihave also sent them into the world. 19For their sakes I sanctifyMyself, so that they too may be sanctified through the truth.

20“I pray not only for them, but also for those who willbelieve in Me on account of their message. 21May they all beone, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May theyalso be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You havesent Me. 22And the glory that You have given to Me, I have

given to them, so that they may be one just as We are one— 23

Iin them and You in Me. May they have perfect unity, so that



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the world may know that You have sent Me and that You haveloved them as You have loved Me.

24“Father, I want those You have given to Me to be with Mewhere I am, so that they may see My glory—the glory that Youhave given to Me, because You loved Me before the foundationof the world. 25Righteous Father! The world does not knowYou, but I know You, and these men know that You have sentMe. 26I have made Your name known to them, and will con-tinue to make it known, so that Your love for Me may be inthem, and that I Myself may be in them.”

After Jesus said these things, He and His disciplescrossed the Kidron Valley and went into a garden.

2 Judas, who betrayed Him, also knew about this place. For Jesus had often met there with His disciples. 3 Judas camethere with a detachment of Roman soldiers and some officersfrom the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carryingtorches, lanterns, and weapons. 4Since Jesus knew everything

that was going to happen to Him, He went out and said, “Whoare you looking for?”5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.“I am He,” Jesus said to them.(And Judas, who betrayed Him, was also standing there

with them.) 6When Jesus said, “I am He,” they fell backward tothe ground.

7“Who are you looking for?” Jesus asked again.“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.8

“I told you that I am He,” said Jesus. “If you are looking forMe, then let these men go.” 9He did this to fulfill what He hadsaid earlier, “I have not lost any of those You have given toMe.”

10 Then Simon Peter drew his sword and cut off the right earof Malchus, the high priest’s slave. 11 Then Jesus said to Peter,“Put your sword away! Should I not drink the cup that theFather has given to Me?”

12 Then the detachment of Roman soldiers and their com-mander, together with the Jewish officers, arrested Jesus andtied Him up. 13 They took Him first to Annas, who was the

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father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14It wasCaiaphas who had told the Jewish leaders, “It is better if one

man dies on behalf of the people.”15Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since the

other disciple was an acquaintance of the high priest, he wasable to go into the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. 16Peter,however, stood outside the gate. So the other disciple, who wasan acquaintance of the high priest, went and spoke to thegatekeeper and brought Peter in. 17 The slave-girl tending thegate asked Peter, “Are you not one of His disciples?”

“No, I am not,” said Peter, denying Him.18Now the slaves and officers had made a fire, because it

was cold. They stood around the fire warming themselves, andPeter also stood there warming himself with them.

19Meanwhile, the high priest asked Jesus about His disci-ples and His teaching. 20“I have spoken publicly to the world,”

Jesus answered. “I have always taught in the synagogues and

in the temple, where all the Jews gather. I did not say anythingin secret. 21Why are you asking Me? Ask those who heard Me. They know what I said.”

22When Jesus said this, one of the officers standing therehit Him. “Is that how You answer the high priest?” exclaimedthe officer.

23“If I said something wrong,” answered Jesus, “testify of what was wrong. But if I am right, why did you hit Me?” 24 ThenAnnas sent Jesus, who was still tied up, to Caiaphas the high

priest.25Simon Peter, meanwhile, was standing there warming

himself. “Are you not one of His disciples?” they asked.“No, I am not,” said Peter, denying Him.

26 Then one of the high priest’s slaves, a relative of the manwhose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Did I not see you in thegarden with Him?” 27But Peter denied Him again, and imme-diately the rooster crowed.

28Early in the morning they led Jesus from Caiaphas’ houseto the Praetorium. However, because they wanted to eat thePassover meal, they did not defile themselves by entering the



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Praetorium. 29 Therefore Pilate went out to them and asked,“What charges are you bringing against this Man?”

30

“If this Man were not a criminal,” they replied, “we wouldnot have handed Him over to you!”31“You take Him,” responded Pilate, “and judge Him accord-

ing to your own law.”“We are not allowed to put anyone to death!” exclaimed the

Jewish leaders. 32 This happened to fulfill what Jesus had saidwhen He indicated what kind of death He would die.

33 Then Pilate went back into the Praetorium and summoned

Jesus. “Are You the King of the Jews?” he asked.34“Are you asking this on your own,” Jesus replied, “or haveothers told you about Me?”

35“Am I a Jew?” responded Pilate. “It was Your own peopleand chief priests who handed You over to me. What have Youdone?”

36“My kingdom is not of this world,” Jesus replied. “If Mykingdom were of this world, My servants would have fought toprevent Me from being arrested by the Jewish leaders. But as

it is, My kingdom is not from here.”37“You are a king then?” Pilate asked. Jesus replied, “You are correct in saying that I am a king. I

was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify tothe truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to Myvoice.”

38“What is truth?” Pilate asked Him.

After saying this he went back out to the Jewish leaders,

and said to them, “I find Him guilty of no crime. 39

But youhave a custom, in which I release a prisoner to you at Passover.So how about it, do you want me to release the King of the

Jews?”40“No, not Him!” they cried out. “Give us Barabbas!” (Now

Barabbas was a bandit.)

Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him whipped. 2 The

soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on His head. Then they dressed Him in a purple robe, 3and said, “Hail, Kingof the Jews!” And they hit Him.19



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4 Then Pilate went outside again, and said to them, “Look! Iwill bring Him out to you, so that you may know that I do not

find Him guilty of any crime.” 5

Then Jesus was brought out,wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. “Look!” Pilatesaid. “Here is the Man!”

6When the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they criedout, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

“You take Him and crucify Him,” said Pilate. “I do not findHim guilty of any crime.”

7 The Jewish leaders responded, “We have a law, and ac-cording to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the

Son of God!”8When Pilate heard this, he became even more afraid. 9He

went back into the Praetorium and asked Jesus, “Where areYou from?” But Jesus made no reply. 10So Pilate said to Him,“Are You not going to speak to me? Do You not realize that Ihave the authority to crucify You or to free You?”

11 Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. But those who handed Me

over to you are guilty of a greater sin.”12From that moment on, Pilate tried to release Him. However,the Jewish leaders cried out, “If you release Him, you are nofriend of Caesar! Whoever claims to be a king opposes Caesar!”

13When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out. Then Pilatesat down on the judgment seat at the place called “The StonePavement” (which in Aramaic is called “Gabbatha”). 14Now itwas the Preparation Day of the Passover, about noon. “Look!”said Pilate to the Jews. “Here is your King!”

15

“Away with Him!” they cried out. “Away with Him! CrucifyHim!”“Should I crucify your King?” asked Pilate.“We have no king but Caesar!” the chief priests answered.16 Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.

So the soldiers took Jesus and led Him away. 17CarryingHis own cross, Jesus made His way to the place called “ThePlace of the Skull” (which in Aramaic is called “Golgotha”).18 There they crucified Him along with two other men, one oneach side, with Jesus in the middle. 19Pilate also wrote a signand had it placed on the cross, which said:



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JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20 The sign was written in Aramaic, Greek, and Latin. Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus wascrucified was near the city. 21 The Jewish chief priests said toPilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘Heclaimed to be the King of the Jews.’”

22Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

23When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His clothesand divided them into four shares, one for each soldier, withthe under-robe remaining. The under-robe was seamless, wovenin one piece from top to bottom. 24 Therefore they said to oneanother, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see whowill get it.” This happened so that the Scripture would befulfilled that said,

“They divided My garments among them,and cast lots for My clothing.”(Psalm 22:18)

And that is exactly what the soldiers did.

25Standing near the cross of Jesus was His mother, Hismother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene.26Now when Jesus saw His mother there, and the disciple

whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Dearwoman, look, here is your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple,“Look, here is your mother.” And from that time on, thisdisciple took her into his home.

28After this, knowing that everything had now come to itsappointed end, Jesus, in order to fulfill Scripture, said, “I amthirsty.”73 29A jar full of vinegar was there, so the soldierssoaked a sponge in the vinegar, placed it on a hyssop branch,

and put it to His mouth. 30

Jesus received the vinegar, and

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then cried out, “It is finished!” Then He bowed His head anddied.

31It was Preparation Day, and the Jewish leaders did notwant their bodies to remain on the crosses during the Sab-bath—especially because it was an important Sabbath. So theyasked Pilate to have their legs broken and their bodies takendown. 32 Therefore the soldiers went and broke the legs of thefirst man, as well as the other man who was crucified withHim. 33But when they came to Jesus and saw that He wasalready dead, they did not break His legs. 34Instead, one of the

soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately bloodand water came out. 35 The disciple who saw this has testifiedabout it, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is tellingthe truth, and he has testified so that you also may believe.36 These things happened so that the Scripture would befulfilled:

“Not one of His bones will be broken.”(Psalm 34:20; Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12)

37And again, another Scripture says,

“They will look on the One they have pierced.”(Zechariah 12:10)

38After this, Joseph, a man from the city of Arimathea,asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. He was a disciple of Jesus— but only secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders. Pilate

gave him permission, and he went and took the body of Jesus.39Nicodemus, the one who had come to see Jesus at night, alsowent with Joseph. He brought with him a mixture of myrrhand aloes, weighing about seventy-five pounds. 40 Then theytook Jesus’ body and wrapped it with linen strips and spices,according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41Near the placewhere He was crucified there was a garden, and in it there wasa new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42Now since itwas the Jewish Preparation Day, and since the tomb was close

by, they laid Jesus there.



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Early on the first day of the week, while it was stilldark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that

the stone had been removed from the tomb’s entrance. 2

So sheran off and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple,whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,”she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”

3So Peter and the other disciple left for the tomb. 4 They bothran together, but the other disciple out ran Peter and made itto the tomb first. 5He stooped down and saw the linen stripslying there, but he did not go in. 6Following him, Simon Peter

arrived and entered the tomb. He saw the linen strips lyingthere, 7and the cloth that had covered His face—it was notlying with the linen strips, but was wrapped up in a place of itsown. 8 Then the other disciple, who had arrived at the tombfirst, also went inside. After seeing this, he believed MaryMagdalene. 9(At that time they did not understand from theScriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

10So the disciples went back to the place where they were

staying. 11

Mary, however, stood weeping outside the tomb. Asshe wept, she stooped down and looked inside the tomb. 12Shesaw two angels dressed in white, sitting where Jesus’ body hadbeen—one at the head, and one at the feet. 13“Dear woman,”the angels said, “why are you weeping?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she replied, “and I do notknow where they have put Him.”

14As she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus stand-

ing there, but did not recognize Him. 15

“Dear woman,” asked Jesus, “why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Thinking that He was the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if

you have carried Him away, please tell me where you have putHim, and I will take Him away.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned to Him and criedout, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17“Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yetascended to My Father. Instead, go to My brothers and tell

them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father—to MyGod and your God.’” 18So Mary Magdalene went and told the

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disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had said thisto her.

19 That evening, on the first day of the week, the discipleswere gathered together. They had locked the doors out of fearof the Jewish leaders. Even so, Jesus came and stood in theirmidst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20After sayingthis, He showed them His hands and side. When the disciplessaw the Lord they rejoiced. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peacebe with you. As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you.”22After He had said this, He breathed on them and said,

“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23

If you tell anyone that their sins areforgiven, because they have believed in Me, indeed they areforgiven. If you tell anyone that their sins are not forgiven,because they have not believed in Me, indeed they are notforgiven.”

24Now one of the twelve disciples, Thomas (whose namemeans “twin”), was not with them when Jesus came. 25So theother disciples said to Thomas, “We have seen the Lord!”

But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks inHis hands, put my finger into the nail marks, and put myhand into His side, I will not believe.”

26A week later His disciples were inside again, and Thomaswas with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesuscame and stood in their midst. “Peace be with you,” He said.27“Put your finger here,” He said to Thomas, “and look at Myhands. Take your hand and put it into My side. Do not doubt!

Just believe!”28“My Lord and My God!” exclaimed Thomas.29 Jesus said to him, “You believe Thomas, because you have

seen Me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

30In the presence of His disciples, Jesus did many othermiraculous signs that are not recorded in this book. 31Butthese things have been recorded so that you may believe that

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you

may have life in His name.



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After these things, Jesus once again showed Himself toHis disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. This was how He

showed Himself: 2

Simon Peter, Thomas (whose name means“twin”), Nathanael from the town of Cana in Galilee, the sonsof Zebedee, and two of His other disciples were together.

3“I am going fishing,” Simon Peter said to them.“We are coming with you,” said the others. So they went and

got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

4It was now early in the morning, and Jesus stood on theshore. His disciples, however, did not know that it was Jesus.

5

“Children,” called out Jesus, “do you have any fish?”“No!” they answered.6“Cast your net to the right side of the boat,” said Jesus,

“and you will catch some.” So they cast in their net, and wereunable to pull it in because of the large number of fish.

7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is theLord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put onhis outer garment (for he had taken it off) and jumped into thesea. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, dragging the net

of fish. They were not far from shore, only about three hundredfeet away. 9When they made it to shore, they saw a charcoalfire there, with fish on it, and some bread.

10“Bring some of the fish you have just caught,” Jesus said.11So Simon Peter went and dragged the net to shore. It was fullof large fish, a hundred and fifty-three in all. And even withthat many fish, the net was not torn. 12“Come and eatbreakfast,” said Jesus. But none of the disciples dared to ask

Him, “Who are You?” because they knew that it was the Lord.13 Then Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them,and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third timethat Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He had beenraised from the dead.

15After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these others do?”

“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “You know that I am Your friend.”

“Then feed My lambs,” said Jesus.16“Simon, son of John,” said Jesus a second time, “do youlove Me?”

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“Yes, Lord,” Peter answered, “You know that I am Your friend.”“Then take care of My sheep,” said Jesus.17

“Simon, son of John,” said Jesus a third time, “are you Myfriend?”Peter was grieved because Jesus asked him a third time,

“Are you My friend?”“Lord,” Peter replied, “You know all things! You know that I

am Your friend!”“Then feed My sheep,” said Jesus. 18“Truly, truly, I say to

you, when you were younger, you dressed yourself and wentwhere you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out

your hands, and someone else will dress you and take youwhere you do not wish to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicatewhat kind of death Peter would die to glorify God. After this,

Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.”

20 Then Peter turned around, and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them—the one who had leaned into Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betrayYou?” 21When Peter saw this disciple, he asked Jesus, “Lord,

what about him?”22 Jesus said to Peter, “If I want him to remain until I return,what is that to you? You follow Me!” 23So word spread amongthe brothers that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did notsay to Peter that he would not die, but, “If I want him to re-main until I return, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who testifies about these things, andhas put these things into writing. And we know that his tes-

timony is true.25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If they were

written down one by one, I suppose the world itself could notcontain the books that would be written. Amen.



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Acts

Dear Theophilus, in my previous book74 I wrote abouteverything that Jesus began to do and teach, 2until the

day He was taken up to heaven, after giving commandmentsthrough the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen.

3He presented Himself to them alive, after His suffering, bymany convincing proofs. He was seen by them for forty days,

during which He spoke about the kingdom of God.

4Gathering them together, He gave them this command: “Donot leave Jerusalem, but wait for what My Father has prom-ised, as I told you earlier. 5For John truly baptized with water,but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6While He was with them they asked Him, “Lord, are Yougoing to restore the kingdom to Israel now?”

7

He said to them, “It is not for you to know the dates or thetimes that the Father has fixed by His Own authority. 8But youwill receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and

you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea andSamaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9After saying these things, He was taken up before theirvery eyes, into the clouds and out of sight. 10Suddenly, as theywere staring into the sky, two men dressed in white stood

beside them. 11

They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you stand-ing here staring into the sky? This Jesus, who has been takenfrom you into heaven, will come back in the same way you sawHim go into heaven.”

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called theMount of Olives, which is a Sabbath day’s walk from Jeru-salem. 13When they arrived, they went up to the upper room

74 Luke, the beloved physician (Colossians 4:14), was the au-thor of Acts. His first book was the Gospel of Luke.

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where Peter, James, John, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Barthol-omew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,

and Judas Lebbaeus the son of James were staying. 14

Withone mind they all continued in prayer and supplication, alongwith the women, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the Lord’sbrothers.

15In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples,a group numbering about a hundred and twenty people, andsaid, 16“Men, brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, whichthe Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning

Judas, who became the guide of those who arrested Jesus.17He was one of us and had received a portion in thisministry.” 18(With the reward of his wickedness a field waspurchased. He hung himself and fell headfirst, his body burstopen at the mid-section, and all his intestines gushed out.19When everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, they calledthe field in Aramaic: “Akeldama,” which means, “Field of Blood.”)

20“For it is written in the book of Psalms:

‘Let his house be deserted,and let no one live in it,’ (Psalm 69:25)

and,

‘Let another take his office.’ (Psalm 109:8)

21 Therefore we must choose one of the men who accompaniedus during the entire time that the Lord Jesus went in and outamong us, 22beginning with the baptism of John until the daythat Jesus was taken up from us—one of these men must be-come a witness with us of His resurrection.”

23So they picked two men: Joseph, called Barsabbas, whowas also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed,

“Lord, You know the hearts of all men. Show us which of thesetwo men You have chosen 25to receive a portion of this minis-try and apostleship, which Judas abandoned to go to the place



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where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast their lots, and the lot fellto Matthias, and he was added to the eleven apostles.

On the day of Pentecost they were all gathered in the sameplace with one mind. 2Suddenly the sound of a violent

roaring wind came from heaven and filled the entire housewhere they were sitting. 3 They saw what appeared to be sep-arate tongues of fire, which rested on each one of them. 4Andthey were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak inother tongues as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

5Now there were devout Jews living in Jerusalem from everynation under heaven. 6When they heard this sound, a crowdgathered in confusion, because each person heard themspeaking in his own language. 7 They all marvelled in amaze-ment and said to one another, “Look! These men who arespeaking, are they not Galileans? 8If this is so, how come weall hear them speaking in our own native language? 9We allcome from different places: Parthia, Media, Elam, Mesopo-

tamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10

Phrygia, Pamphylia,Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, Rome, 11Crete, andArabia. So how is it that we all, both Jews and converts to

Judaism, hear them speaking in our own languages about thewonderful works of God?”

12 They were all amazed and puzzled, and asked one an-other, “What does this mean?”

13But others mocked and said, “They are drunk on sweetwine.”

14 Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice andsaid to them, “Men of Judea and all you residence of Jeru-salem, listen carefully to me and I will tell you what thismeans. 15 These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it isonly nine in the morning. 16On the contrary, this is what wasspoken by the prophet Joel:

17‘In the last days, God says,

I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,and your old men will dream dreams.

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18In those days I will pour out My Spiriton My menservants and on My maidservants,

and they will prophesy.19I will show wonders in the heavens aboveand signs on the earth below— blood, fire, and plumes of smoke.

20 The sun will be turned to darkness,and the moon to blood,before the coming of the greatand notable day of the Lord.

21But whoever calls on

the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Joel 2:28-32)

22“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth was aMan approved by God. God showed this to you by performingmiracles, wonders, and signs through Him—as you yourselvesknow. 23He was handed over to you according to the predeter-mined purpose and foreknowledge of God, and you crucifiedand killed Him by the hands of lawless men. 24But God raised

Him from the dead and freed Him from the suffering of death,because it was impossible for death to keep its grip on Him.25David said this about Him:

‘I see that the Lord is always before me;because He is at my right hand,I will not be shaken.

26 Therefore my heart is gladand my tongue rejoices.

Furthermore, my body will rest in hope.27For You will not leave my soulamong the dead,or let Your Holy One see decay.

28You have shown me the paths of life,and You will fill me with joyin Your presence.’ (Psalm 16:8-11)

29

“Men, brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patri-arch David died and was buried—his tomb is here among us tothis day. 30But David was a prophet and knew that God hadpromised him on oath that from his descendants the Christ



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would come to sit on his throne. 31Since David foresaw this, hespoke about the resurrection of the Christ, saying,

‘His soul was not left among the dead,and His flesh did not see decay.’ (Psalm 16:10)

32“God raised this Jesus from the dead, and we are all wit-nesses of this. 33He has been exalted to the right hand of God.And the Father has given Him the promised Holy Spirit, whomHe has now poured out—which is what you are seeing and

hearing. 34

For David did not ascended into heaven, yet he said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord,“Sit at My right hand35until I make Your enemiesa footstool for Your feet.”’ (Psalm 110:1)

36“So let the entire house of Israel know beyond any doubt

that God made Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord andChrist!”

37Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart,and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Men, brothers, whatshould we do?”

38Peter replied, “Each one of you must repent and be bap-tized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of yoursins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This

promise belongs to you and to your children and to all who arefar off; it is for as many as the Lord our God calls!”

40And with many more words Peter testified and pleaded,saying, “Be saved from this warped generation!” 41 Those whogladly received his message were baptized, and about threethousand souls were added to them that day. 42And they faith-fully devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellow-ship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

43Fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signswere performed through the apostles. 44And all the believers



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were united together and shared everything. 45 They sold theirproperty and possessions, and distributed the proceeds to

anyone among them who was in need. 46

With one mind theymet daily at the temple, and broke bread in their homestogether. With sincere hearts they ate their food with gladness,47praising God and having favour with all the people. And dayby day the Lord added to the church those who were beingsaved.

One afternoon Peter and John went to the temple at the

time of prayer, which is at three o’clock. 2

Now there was aman there who was born lame. Every day his friends wouldcarry him to the temple gate called beautiful, and would layhim down so that he could beg from those entering the temple.3When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, hebegged them for some money. 4But Peter and John stared himstraight in the eyes, and Peter said, “Look at us!” 5So the mangave them his attention, expecting to receive something fromthem. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but

what I have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Naza-reth, get up and walk!” 7 Then Peter grabbed him by the righthand and helped him up, and immediately his feet and anklesbecame strong. 8He leaped to his feet and began to walk. Thenhe entered the temple with Peter and John, walking andleaping and praising God! 9When everyone saw him walkingand praising God, 10they were filled with wonder and amaze-ment. They realized that he was the beggar, who always sat atthe temple gate called Beautiful. 11While the lame man who

was healed clung to Peter and John, all the people ran to themin great amazement to the place called Solomon’s Porch.

12When Peter saw this, he said to the people, “Men of Israel,why are you so amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, asthough we have made this man to walk by our own power orgodliness? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Son Jesus, whom you handed overand rejected before Pilate, even though Pilate had decided to

let Him go. 14

You rejected the Holy and Righteous One, re-questing that a murderer be released to you instead. 15Youkilled the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. We

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are witnesses of this! 16It is through faith in His name—thename of Jesus—that this man whom you see and know has

been healed. It is the faith that comes through Him that hasgiven this man his complete healing in front of you all.

17“Now, brothers, I know that you acted ignorantly just as your leaders did. 18But God declared beforehand by the mouthof all His prophets that the Christ would suffer, and He hasfulfilled this. 19 Therefore repent and turn to God so that yoursins may be wiped away, so that times of refreshing may comefrom the presence of the Lord, 20and so that He may send the

Christ, who was proclaimed to you beforehand—Jesus. 21

Hemust remain in heaven until it is time for all things to berestored, just as God said long ago through the mouth of allHis holy prophets. 22For Moses truly said to our fathers,

‘The Lord your God will raise upfor you a Prophet like mefrom among your brothers.

You must listen to everything He tells you.23

Anyone who fails to listen to that Prophetwill be completely cut off from among his people.’ (Deuteronomy 18:15, 19)

24“Samuel, and all the prophets who followed after him, fore-told of these days. 25And you are heirs of the prophets, and of the covenant God made with our fathers. For God said toAbraham,

‘Through your seed will all the familiesof the earth be blessed.’ (Genesis 22:18, 26:4)

26God raised up His Son Jesus and sent Him to you first, sothat He might bless you by turning each of you from yoursinful ways.”

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, thepriests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Saddu-

cees rushed over to them. 2 They were enraged because Peter4



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and John were teaching the people, and were preachingthrough Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3So they arrested

Peter and John and put them in custody until the next day,because it was already evening. 4But many of those who heardtheir message believed, and the number of men who believedgrew to about five thousand.

5 The next day the leaders, elders, and teachers of the lawassembled in Jerusalem. 6Annas the high priest, Caiaphas,

John, Alexander, and many of the high priest’s relatives werethere. 7 They made Peter and John stand before them and

asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Leaders

of the people, and elders of Israel! 9If we are being questionedtoday about a good deed that was done for a lame man—as tohow he was healed— 10then you and all the people of Israelmust know this: it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, thatthis man stands before you in good health.

11‘The Stone that you builders have rejected,has become the Cornerstone.’ (Psalm 118:22)

12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other nameunder heaven given to men by which we must be saved!”

13

As soon as they saw the boldness of Peter and John, andrecognized that neither man had any special training or educa-tion, they marvelled and realized that they had been with

Jesus. 14But they could not say anything against them, be-cause it was evident that the man who was standing with themhad been healed. 15So they ordered Peter and John to leave theSanhedrin, and then consulted with one another, 16saying,“What should we do to these men? A notable miracle has trulybeen performed through them and is known by all the inhab-

itants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17

But to preventthis from spreading any further among the people, we mustthreaten and warn them not to speak to anyone in the name of

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18So the Sanhedrin called them back in, and commandedthem not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus again. 19But

Peter and John replied, “You judge if it is right in God’s sightfor us to listen to you rather than to God. 20As for us, we can-not stop talking about what we have seen and heard.” 21Afterthreatening Peter and John further, they released them. Therewas no way they could punish them, because all the peopleglorified God for what had happened. 22For the man who wasmiraculously healed was over forty years old.

23After Peter and John were released, they returned to their

own people and reported what the chief priests and the eldershad said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised theirvoices to God with one mind and said: “Sovereign Lord, Youmade heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Yourservant David, saying,

‘Why do the nations rageand the peoples plot in vain?

26

The kings of the earth stand opposed,and the rulers make plans togetheragainst the Lordand against His Anointed One.’ (Psalm 2:1-2)

27For truly both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gen-tiles and the people of Israel, made plans together against

Jesus—Your holy Son, whom You anointed. 28 They did what

Your hand and Your will predestined to happen. 29

Now, Lord,look at their threats and give Your slaves great boldness tospeak Your word. 30Stretch out your hand to heal, and to per-form signs and wonders through the name of Your holy Son

Jesus.”

31After they had finished petitioning God, the place wherethey were meeting shook, and they were all filled with the HolySpirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

32All the believers were one in both heart and soul. They didnot consider their possessions as their own, but shared every-thing. 33With great power the apostles testified about the res-



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urrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favour was upon themall. 34Not one of them was in need, because those who owned

land or houses sold them and brought the money from thesales 35and laid it at the apostles’ feet. Then it was distributedto each one who was in need.

36 There was a man named Joseph, a Levite from the Islandof Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means“Son of Encouragement”), 37who sold a field that belonged tohim and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Now there was a man named Ananias, who along with hiswife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2With his wife’s

knowledge he secretly kept a portion of the money, andbrought the rest and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 Then Petersaid, “Ananias! Why has satan so filled your heart that youhave lied to the Holy Spirit by secretly keeping a portion of themoney that you received for the land? 4Before you sold it, wasit not yours? After you sold it, was not the money yours? How

could you set your heart on doing such a thing? You have notlied to man, but to God!”

5When Ananias heard these words, he collapsed and died.And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 Then the youngmen got up, wrapped his body, and carried him out and buriedhim.

7About three hours later his wife came in, unaware of what

had happened. 8

Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price youreceived for your land?”She replied, “Yes, it is the price.”9 Then Peter said to her, “How could the two of you agree to

test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who haveburied your husband are at the door, and they will carry youout as well!” 10Immediately she collapsed at his feet and died.When the young men came in and found her dead, they car-ried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11And great

fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of it.

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12 Through the hands of the apostles many signs and won-ders were performed among the people. And all the believers

were of one mind and met together at Solomon’s porch. 13

Noone else dared to join them, even though all the people highlyrespected them. 14Nevertheless, large numbers of men andwomen believed and were added to the Lord. 15 They even car-ried the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats,hoping that Peter’s shadow might fall on them as he passedby. 16Many people also came from the towns around Jeru-salem, bringing the sick and those who were possessed byunclean spirits, and they were all healed.

17At this, the high priest and all his associates from theparty of the Sadducees were filled with jealousy and took action.18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.19But an angel of the Lord came during the night and openedthe jail doors and led them out, saying, 20“Go and stand in thetemple and tell the people all about the message of eternallife!” 21After hearing this, they entered the temple at dawn andbegan to teach.

When the high priest and his associates arrived, they calledtogether the Sanhedrin—all the elders of the children of Israel.

Then they sent orders to the jail to have the apostles broughtto them. 22But when the officers arrived, they did not find theapostles in jail. So they went back and reported, 23“We foundthe jail securely locked and the guards standing at their posts,but when we opened the doors we found no one inside!”24When the high priest and the captain of the temple guard

heard this, they were puzzled as to what had happened.25 Then someone came and told them, “Look! The men you

put in jail are standing in the temple teaching the people!”26 Then the captain went with his officers and brought them

back without force, because they were afraid of being stonedby the people. 27 They brought the apostles in and stood thembefore the Sanhedrin. And the high priest questioned them,28saying, “Did we not give you strict orders not to teach in this

name? Look! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching andare determined to bring this Man’s blood upon us!”

29But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God,



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not man! 30You killed Jesus by hanging Him on a cross, butthe God of our fathers raised Him from the dead. 31God has

exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Saviour, so thatIsrael might repent and receive forgiveness for their sins. 32Weare witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whomGod has given to those who obey Him.”

33When the Sanhedrin heard this, they became enraged andwanted to kill them. 34But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, ateacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stoodup in the Sanhedrin and ordered the apostles to be put outside

for a few moments. 35

Then he said to the Sanhedrin, “Men of Israel, weigh carefully what you intend to do to these men.36For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be someonegreat, and about four hundred men joined him. But he waskilled, and all his followers were scattered and came to nothing.37After him, in the days of the census, Judas the Galilean roseup and led a revolt. But he was killed, and all his followerswere scattered. 38So here is my advice to you: stay away fromthese men and leave them alone. If this plan or this work is of

man, it will fail. 39

But if it is from God, you will not be able tostop them. In fact, you might actually find that you are fightingagainst God!” 40So they took Gamaliel’s advice. They called inthe apostles and had them whipped. Then they ordered themnot to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Theapostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing that they were countedworthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. 42And everyday, in the temple and from house to house, they did not stopteaching and preaching the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

In those days, as the disciples continued to increase, theGreek-speaking Jews complained against the Hebrew-

speaking Jews that their widows were being overlooked in thedaily distribution of food. 2So the twelve apostles called all thedisciples together and said, “It would not be right for us toneglect the word of God to wait on tables. 3 Therefore brothers,choose seven men from among you who are reputable and full

of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, and we will appoint them overthis task. 4But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to theministry of the word.”

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5 This suggestion pleased everyone. So they chose Stephen,a man who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. They also

chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicol-as, a former convert to Judaism from the city of Antioch. 6 Theywere brought to the apostles, who prayed and laid their handson them.

7 The word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem greatly increased, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

8

Now Stephen, a man full of faith and power, performedgreat wonders and signs among the people. 9Opposition arosefrom the synagogue of the freedmen, whose members were com-prised of Jews from the cities of Cyrene and Alexandria andfrom the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Steph-en, 10but they were unable to stand against the wisdom andthe Spirit by whom he spoke.

11So they persuaded some men to say, “We heard Stephen

saying blasphemous things against Moses and God.” 12

Thisstirred up the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law.So they rushed over and seized Stephen, and brought himbefore the Sanhedrin. 13 They presented false witnesses whosaid, “This man never stops speaking blasphemous wordsagainst this holy place and against the law. 14We have heardhim say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the temple,and will change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”

15

All those sitting in the Sanhedrin stared at Stephen, be-cause his face looked like the face of an angel.

Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Is this true?”2Stephen answered, “Men, brothers, and fathers, listen up!

Before our father Abraham lived in Haran, the God of glory ap-peared to him in Mesopotamia. 3God said to him,

‘Leave your country and your relatives,and go to the land that I will show you.’ (Genesis 12:1)

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4“So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled inHaran. After his father died, God brought him to this land where

we now live. 5

God gave him no inheritance here, not even onesquare foot. But God promised to give the land to him and tohis descendants after him for a possession—even though Abra-ham was too old to have children. 6 This is what God said:

‘Your descendants will be aliensin a foreign land,and they will be enslavedand oppressed for four hundred years.

7

But I will judge the nationthat enslaves them,’ God said,‘and afterwards they will leave that landand will come and worshipMe in this place.’ (Genesis 15:13-14)

8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. Sowhen Abraham fathered Isaac he circumcised him on the

eighth day, as did Isaac when he fathered Jacob, and Jacobwhen he fathered the twelve patriarchs.

9“Now the patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and soldhim as a slave into Egypt, but God was with him. 10God de-livered him from all his troubles and gave him favour and wis-dom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointedhim governor over Egypt and over his entire household.11Eventually a famine covered the entire land of Egypt andCanaan, causing great suffering, and our fathers could notfind any food. 12When Jacob heard that there was grain inEgypt, he sent our fathers on their first trip. 13On their secondtrip, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, and Pharaohlearned about Joseph’s family. 14 Then Joseph sent and invitedhis father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five people in all.15So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.16 Their bodies were carried to Shechem and buried in the tombthat Abraham had purchased from the sons of Hamor.



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17“When the time drew near for God to fulfill the promisethat He swore to Abraham, our people increased and multi-plied in Egypt. 18 Then another king who did not know Josephrose up. 19 This king exploited our race and oppressed our fa-thers, forcing them to abandon their infants so that they woulddie.

20“Moses was born at this time. He was beautiful to God,and he nursed for three months in his father’s house. 21Whenhe was left outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and raisedhim as her own son. 22So Moses was trained in all the wisdomof the Egyptians, and he was powerful in both words and deeds.

23“When Moses was forty years old, he decided in his heartto visit his brothers—the children of Israel. 24When he saw oneof them being mistreated, Moses came to his defence andavenged him by killing the Egyptian. 25Moses thought hisbrothers would understand that God was going to deliver themby his hand, but they did not understand. 26 The next daywhen Moses saw two of his brothers fighting, he tried to makepeace between them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are

you mistreating each other?’ 27But the man who was mistreat-ing his neighbour pushed Moses aside and said,

‘Who made you our ruler and judge?28Do you want to kill me like

you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ (Exodus 2:14)

29After he said this, Moses fled to the land of Midian. There helived as a foreigner, and fathered two sons.

30“Forty years later when Moses was in the desert of MountSinai, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in the flames of aburning bush. 31When Moses saw this, he marvelled at thesight. And when he approached to take a closer look, the voiceof the Lord said to him,

32‘I am the God of your fathers,the God of Abraham,



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the God of Isaac,and the God of Jacob.’

(Exodus 3:6)

Moses became terrified and did not dare to look. 33 Then theLord said to him,

‘Take off your sandals,for you are standing on holy ground.

34I have certainly seen the oppressionof My people in Egypt.

I have heard their groaning,and I have come down to deliver them.Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’

(Exodus 3:5-10)

35“This Moses, whom they rejected by saying,

‘Who made you our ruler and judge?’ (Exodus 2:14)

was the man God sent to be their ruler and deliverer, by thehand of the angel who appeared to him in the burning bush.36 This Moses led them out of Egypt. He performed many signsand wonders in the land of Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in thewilderness for forty years. 37 This is the same Moses who toldthe children of Israel,

‘The Lord your God will raise up

for you a Prophet like mefrom among your brothers.You must listen to Him.’

(Deuteronomy 18:15)

38 This Moses was with our fathers in the congregation in thewilderness. The angel spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and he re-ceived living words to give to us.

39

“But our fathers would not obey him. They rejected him,and their hearts turned back to Egypt. 40 They said to Aaron,



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‘Make us gods who will go before us.As for this Moses,

who led us out of the land of Egypt,we do not know what has happened to him.’ (Exodus 32:1)

41In those days they made a calf idol. And as they offeredsacrifices to it, they rejoiced at what their hands had made.42 Then God turned away from them and let them worship thesun, moon, and stars. As it is written in the book of theprophets,

‘Did you offer Me sacrifices and offeringsin the wilderness for forty years,O house of Israel?

43No! You carried the shrine of Molechand the star of your god Rephan,the idols you made to worship.

So I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’ (Amos 5:25-27)

44“In the wilderness our fathers had the tent of testimony,which God had commanded Moses to make according to thepattern that he had seen. 45 The next generation brought it with

Joshua when they took possession of the nations that Goddrove out before them, and that is where it remained until thetime of David. 46Although David found favour with God anddesired to provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob, 47itwas Solomon who built a house for Him. 48However, the MostHigh does not dwell in a man-made temple! As the prophetsays,

49‘Heaven is My throne,and the earth is My footstool.

What kind of house can you build for Me,says the Lord,or what place can you build for My rest?

50Did not My hands make all these things?’ (Isaiah 66:1-2)

51“You stubborn people have uncircumcised hearts andears! You always oppose the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers



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did! 52Which one of the prophets did your fathers not per-secute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the

Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered!53You received the law that was instituted by angels, but youhave not kept it!”

54When they heard this, they gnashed their teeth in rage.55But Stephen, who was full of the Holy Spirit, stared intoheaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at theright hand of God. 56“Look,” he exclaimed, “I see heaven openand the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice and covered theirears as they all rushed over to Stephen. 58 They dragged himoutside of the city and then began to stone him. Meanwhile,his accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a

young man named Saul.

59As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus,receive my spirit!” 60 Then he fell to his knees, and cried out

with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!”After Stephen had said this, he died.

Now, as for Saul, he was pleased with the death of Ste-phen.

And on that day a great persecution broke out against thechurch in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles were

scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2

SomeGodly men buried Stephen and mourned greatly for him. 3ButSaul viciously attacked the church. He went from house tohouse dragging off both men and women to put in jail.4However, those who were scattered went about preaching thegood news of the word.

5Now Philip went up to the city of Samaria and proclaimedChrist to them. 6When the crowds heard Philip and saw the

miraculous signs that he performed, they all listened carefullyto what he said. 7Unclean spirits screamed as they came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed andlame were healed. 8So there was great joy in that city.

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9Now there was a man named Simon who had practicedsorcery in that city for a long time. He amazed the people of

Samaria and claimed that he was someone great. 10

Everyonepaid attention to him, both small and great, saying, “This manis the great power of god.” 11 They paid attention to Simon,because he had amazed them with his sorcery for a long time.12But when they heard Philip preaching the good news aboutthe kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, the menand women believed and were baptized. 13Simon himself be-lieved and was baptized. He followed Philip around and wasamazed by the great signs and miracles that he saw.

14When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria hadreceived the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.15When they arrived, they prayed for them to receive the HolySpirit. 16For they had been baptized in the name of the Lord

Jesus, but the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen on any of them.17So Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they re-ceived the Holy Spirit.

18

When Simon saw that the Holy Spirit was given throughthe laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money.19“Give me this power too,” Simon said, “so that everyone I laymy hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.”

20But Peter replied, “May your money perish with you, be-cause you thought that you could obtain the gift of God withmoney! 21You have no portion or share in this matter, because

your heart is not right before God. 22Repent of your wickednessand petition God, maybe He will forgive you for thinking this in

your heart. 23

For I perceive that you are poisoned by bitternessand bound by sin.”24Simon answered, “Petition the Lord for me, so that none of

the things you have mentioned will happen to me.”

25After they had finished testifying and preaching the wordof the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, proclaiming the gospelin many Samaritan villages along the way.

26

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up, and goalong the desert road that goes south from Jerusalem down toGaza.” 27So Philip got up and went. On the road he saw an



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Ethiopian eunuch, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. Hewas a high-ranking official in charge of the entire treasury of

Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. 28

On his way back home, hesat in his chariot reading from the prophet Isaiah.29 The Spirit said to Philip, “Approach the chariot and stay

close to it.” 30As Philip ran near, he heard the eunuch readingfrom the prophet Isaiah.

So Philip asked him, “Do you understand what you arereading?”

31 The eunuch answered, “How can I, unless someone guidesme through it?” So he invited Philip to climb up and sit with

him.32 The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.And as a lamb is silent before its shearer,

He did not open His mouth.33In His humiliation He was denied justice.Who can speak of His descendants?

For His life was taken from the earth.”(Isaiah 53:7-8)

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Please tell me who the prophetis talking about? Is he talking about himself or someone else?”35 Then Philip, beginning with this Scripture, told him the goodnews about Jesus.

36As they were travelling along the road, they came to some

water. The eunuch said, “Look! Here is some water. What pre-vents me from being baptized?”37Philip said, “As long as you believe with all your heart, you

can be baptized.” The eunuch answered and said, “Yes, I believe that JesusChrist is the Son of God.” 38So he ordered the chariot to stop;they both went down to the water, and Philip baptized theeunuch. 39As soon as they came up out of the water, the Spiritof the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw himagain, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip found himself inthe city of Ashdod, and from there he preached the gospel toevery town he passed through until he came to the city of Caesarea.



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Meanwhile, Saul continued breathing out murderousthreats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high

priest 2

and asked him to write letters to the synagogues inDamascus, giving him authority to arrest any man or womenthat he found belonging to “the Way,” so that he could bringthem to Jerusalem.

3As Saul was nearing the city of Damascus on his journey,a light from heaven suddenly shone around him. 4He fell to theground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are

you persecuting Me?”5

Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord replied, “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting.It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”75

6 Trembling and astonished, Saul asked, “Lord, what do youwant me to do?”

The Lord said to him, “Get up and go into the city, there you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men who were travelling with him stood speechless,

because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8

When Saul gotup from the ground and opened his eyes, he could not see. Sothey led him by the hand into the city of Damascus. 9He waswithout sight for three days, and did not eat or drink.

10Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

Ananias answered, “Here I am, Lord.”11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to Straight Street, to

the house of Judas. Ask for a man named Saul, from the cityof Tarsus. He is praying there right now. 12In a vision he hasseen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him,so that he can see again.”

13But Ananias answered, “Lord, many have told me aboutthe evil things this man has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.14Now he has come here and the chief priests have given himauthority to arrest everyone who calls on Your name.”

75

This is talking about an ox-goad, which is a long stick with apointed end used for prodding oxen when ploughing. A stub-born ox would kick back against the goad that was urging himforward, only to inflict harm on itself.

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15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! For I have chosen thisman as My vessel to take My name to the Gentiles and their

kings, and to the children of Israel. 16

Therefore, I will show himhow much he must suffer for My name.”

17So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid hishands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whoappeared to you on the road as you were coming, has sent meto you so that you may regain your sight and be filled with theHoly Spirit.” 18Immediately, something that looked like scalesfell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up

and was baptized. 19

After he ate some food, he was strength-ened.

Saul spent a few days with the disciples in Damascus.20And right away he began preaching about Jesus in the syna-gogues, saying, “He is the Son of God!”

21All those who heard him were amazed and said, “In Jerusalem, did he not viciously attack everyone who calls onthis name? Has he not come here for the same purpose, to

arrest and bring them to the chief priests?” 22

But Saul contin-ued to increase in strength, and confounded the Jews living inDamascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

23After many days the Jews plotted to kill him. 24 They care-fully watched the city gates day and night to kill him, but Saulbecame aware of their plot. 25So his disciples took him in thenight and lowered him down in a basket through a window inthe wall.76

26When Saul came to Jerusalem and tried to join thedisciples, they all feared him because they did not believe thathe was really a disciple. 27Barnabas, however, took him andbrought him to the apostles. He explained to them how Saulhad seen the Lord on the road and heard His voice, and howhe had boldly preached in the name of Jesus while inDamascus. 28So Saul went all over Jerusalem with them,77

29speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus. He talked and

76 2 Corinthians 11:32-3377 Paul only stayed in Jerusalem for fifteen days (Galatians1:18).



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debated with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they attempted tokill him. 30Once the brothers learned of this, they brought him

up to the city of Caesarea and sent him off to the city of Tarsus.

31 Then the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Sam-aria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. The churchcontinued to multiply as it walked in the fear of the Lord andin the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

32As Peter travelled about, he went to visit the saints living

in the town of Lod. 33

There he found a paralyzed man namedAeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years. 34Peter saidto him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ is healing you! Get up and make

your bed!” And immediately Aeneas got up. 35Everyone living inthe town of Lod and the Plain of Sharon saw Aeneas and turnedto the Lord.78

36Now there was a disciple in the town of Joppa named Tabitha, which means “Gazelle.” She was distinguished for her

good works and acts of charity. 37

During this time she becamesick and died, and they washed her body and laid it in anupper room. 38When the disciples heard that Peter was in Lod,which is near Joppa, they sent two men to request for him tocome without delay.

39So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrivedthey took him to the upper room. All the widows stood weepingas they showed him the coats and clothes that Tabitha hadmade for them while she was still alive. 40Peter sent them allout and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her bodyand said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes and sawPeter, then sat up. 41Peter gave her his hand and helped herup, then called in the saints and widows and presented her tothem alive. 42 This became known throughout the whole townof Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43And Peter stayed in

Joppa for a while with a tanner named Simon.

78

“I am the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys” (Song of Songs 2:1). The Plain of Sharon runs along the Mediterraneancoast between Joppa and Mount Carmel. It is about 50 mileslong.



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There was a man in the city of Caesarea namedCornelius. He was an officer of the Italian Regiment.

2

He and his household were devout and God-fearing people. Hewas very charitable to the poor and petitioned God continually.3About three o’clock one afternoon he clearly saw an angel of God coming to him in a vision, saying, “Cornelius!”

4He stared at the angel in terror and said, “What is it,Lord?”

The angel replied, “Your prayers and acts of charity havegone up as a memorial offering before God. 5Now send mes-sengers down to the town of Joppa to summon a man named

Simon Peter. 6

He is staying with Simon the tanner, whosehouse is by the sea. Peter will tell you what you must do.”7After the angel left, Cornelius called two of his servants and adevout soldier who was one of his personal attendants.8Cornelius explained everything to them and sent them to

Joppa.

9 The next day at about noon, as they were making their waynear the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10He became

very hungry and wanted to eat, but while the meal was beingprepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven open, andsomething that looked like a large sheet was let down to earthby its four corners. 12In it were all kinds of four-footed animals,wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. 13 Then a voice said to him,“Get up, Peter, kill and eat something.”

14But Peter said, “No, Lord! I have never eaten anything thatis common or unclean!”

15 The voice said to him a second time, “What God has

cleansed, you must not call common.” 16

This happened threetimes, and then the sheet was taken back up into heaven.

17While Peter was pondering the meaning of the vision hehad seen, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house andstood at the gate. 18 They called out and asked if Simon Peterwas staying there. 19While Peter was pondering the vision, theSpirit said to him, “Look! Three men are looking for you. 20Nowget up and go downstairs, and do not hesitate to go with them,

because I have sent them.”21So Peter went down to the men Cornelius had sent, and

said, “I am the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”

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22 They replied, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer.He is a righteous and God-fearing man, who is well respected

by all the Jewish people. He was told by a holy angel tosummon you to his house, so that he may hear what you haveto say.” 23So Peter invited them in to spend the night. The nextday Peter left with them, accompanied by some of the brothersfrom the town of Joppa. 24 The next day they entered the city of Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them and had invited hisrelatives and close friends. 25When Peter entered, Corneliusmet him and fell prostrate at his feet. 26But Peter pulled himup and said, “Stand up! I am only a man.”

27As he talked with Cornelius, he entered and found a largegroup of people. 28Peter said to them, “You know that it isunlawful for a Jewish man to associate with or to visit aGentile. But God has shown me not to call any man commonor unclean. 29So when I was summoned, I came promptly. NowI ask, why have you summoned me?”

30Cornelius answered, “Four days ago I was fasting and

praying in my house at this very hour, at three o’clock in theafternoon, when suddenly a man dressed in bright clothingstood in front of me. 31He said to me, ‘Cornelius, your prayersand acts of charity have been remembered before God. 32Nowsend messengers down to the town of Joppa to summon a mannamed Simon Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner,whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.’ 33So I sent for you immediately, and you have done well incoming. Now we are all present before God to hear everything

God has commanded you to say.”34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “Now I truly

understand that God is no respecter of persons. 35In very na-tion He accepts the man who reveres Him and does what isrighteous.

36“You know the message that God sent to the children of Israel—He announced the gospel of peace through Jesus

Christ, who is Lord of all. 37

You know what happened through-out Judea, beginning in Galilee, after the baptism that Johnpreached. 38You know that God anointed Jesus of Nazarethwith the Holy Spirit and with power. You know that He went



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around doing good and healing all those who were oppressedby the devil, because God was with Him.

39“We are witnesses of everything He did, both in Judea andin Jerusalem. They killed Him by hanging Him on a tree, 40butGod raised Him to life on the third day. God allowed Him to beseen, 41not by everyone, but only by those witnesses whom Godhad chosen in advance—by us, who ate and drank with Himafter He rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach tothe people and to testify that He is the God-appointed Judge of both the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about

Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him willreceive forgiveness of sins.”

44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on every-one who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers whocame with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the HolySpirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles— 46for theyheard them speaking in tongues and magnifying God. 47 ThenPeter said, “Can anyone object to them being baptized with wa-

ter, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”48So Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of theLord. Then they asked Peter to stay for a few more days.

The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heardthat the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

2But when Peter went down to Jerusalem, the circumcised be-lievers criticized him. 3 They said, “You went in and ate with

uncircumcised men!”4 Then Peter began to explain everything in order, saying, 5“I

was in the town of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw avision. I saw what looked like a large sheet that was let downfrom heaven by its four corners. It came down right in front of me. 6As I examined it closely, I saw all kinds of four-footedanimals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. 7 Then I heard a voicesay to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat something.’ 8But I said,

‘No, Lord! I have never eaten anything that is common orunclean!’ 9 The voice from heaven said to me a second time,‘What God has cleansed, you must not call common.’ 10 This

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happened three times, and then the sheet was taken back upinto heaven.

11“Immediately after this, three men arrived at the housewhere I was staying. They had been sent from the city of Cae-sarea to find me. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them, withoutany hesitation. These six brothers also accompanied me, andwe entered the man’s house. 13He told us that he had seen anangel standing in his house. The angel said to him, ‘Send mes-sengers down to the town of Joppa to summon a man namedSimon Peter. 14He will tell you how you and your entire house-

hold can be saved.’ 15“While I was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as

He fell on us at the beginning. 16 This reminded me of what theLord had said: ‘John truly baptized with water, but you will bebaptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17So if God gave them the samegift as He gave to us when we believed in the Lord JesusChrist, then who was I to oppose God?”

18

When they heard this, they calmed down and glorified God,saying, “To the Gentiles God has also granted repentance thatleads to life.”

19Now some of those who were scattered by the persecutionthat broke out after Stephen’s death travelled as far asPhoenicia, Cyprus, and the city of Antioch, preaching the wordonly to the Jews. 20But then some men from Cyprus andCyrene came to the city of Antioch, and preached the gospel of

the Lord Jesus to the Greeks as well. 21

The Lord’s hand waswith them, and a large number of them believed and turned tothe Lord.

22When the church in Jerusalem heard about this, theysent Barnabas to the city of Antioch. 23When Barnabas arrivedand saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them allto whole heartedly cling to the Lord. 24He was a good man whowas full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a large number of

people were added to the Lord.25 Then Barnabas went to the city of Tarsus to look for Saul.

26After Barnabas found Saul, he brought him back to Antioch.



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For an entire year they met together with the church in Anti-och, and taught a large number of people. The disciples were

first called “Christians” in Antioch.27During this time some prophets from Jerusalem went up

to the city of Antioch. 28One prophet named Agabus stood up,and through the Spirit he foretold of a great famine that wouldcover the entire Roman world. This prophecy was fulfilled dur-ing the reign of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then the disciples in Anti-och, each according to what they could afford, decided to sendaid to the brothers living in Judea. 30 They followed through

with it, and sent it to the elders in Jerusalem by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

It was around this time that King Herod Agrippa per-secuted some of those who belonged to the church. 2He

killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. 3When Herodsaw how much this pleased the Jews he also arrested Peter.

This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4After

Herod had Peter arrested, he put him in prison and handed himover to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Afterthe Passover Herod intended to put him on trial before thepeople. 5But while Peter was in prison, the church continuallyprayed to God for him.

6Now it was the night before Herod was to bring him to trial,and Peter had fallen asleep between the two soldiers he waschained to—two other soldiers stood in front guarding the door

of his prison cell. 7

Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood beforehim and a light shone in his prison cell. The angel struck Peteron the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” Thenthe chains fell from Peter’s hands. 8 The angel said to him,“Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And Peter did so.

Then the angel told him, “Put on your coat and follow me.” 9AsPeter followed him out, he thought he was seeing a vision—notrealizing that what the angel was doing was actually real.10After passing the first and second guard posts, they came to

the iron gate that leads to the city. The gate opened by itself,and they walked out. They walked the length of one street, andthen the angel suddenly left him.

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11When Peter came to his senses, he said, “Now I truly knowthat the Lord has sent His angel to rescue me from the hand of

Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were hopingwould happen.”

12After Peter became aware of this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered to-gether praying. 13Peter knocked on the porch door, and a serv-ant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When sherecognized Peter’s voice, she became so overjoyed that she for-got to open the door. Instead, she ran back and told the rest of

them that Peter was standing at the porch. 15

They said to her,“You are crazy!” But since she kept insisting that it was true,they said, “It must be his angel.” 16Meanwhile, Peter kept knock-ing. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they werestunned. 17Peter signalled to them with his hand to be silent,and explained to them how the Lord had led him out of prison.He said, “Tell all this to James and the brothers.” Then he leftand went to another place.

18

At daybreak the soldiers were in a panic, because theycould not find Peter. 19Herod searched for him, but could notfind him. After Herod questioned the guards, he commandedthem to be led away for execution. Then Herod left Judea, andstayed in the city of Caesarea for a while.

20Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre andSidon. So they persuaded Herod’s servant Blastus, who was incharge of the king’s bedchamber, to help them. Then they

came with one mind to ask for peace, because their cities de-pended on Herod for their food supply. 21On an appointed dayHerod sat on his throne, dressed in royal apparel, and ad-dressed the crowd. 22 The people cried out, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” 23Immediately an angel of the Lord struckHerod down, because he did not give glory to God, and he waseaten by worms and died. 24But the word of God grew andincreased.

25

After Barnabas and Saul delivered the aid contribution,they left Jerusalem, taking John Mark with them.





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16So Paul stood up, signalled to them with his hand to besilent, and said, “Men of Israel, and those who revere God,

listen! 17

The God of this people Israel chose our fathers. Heexalted the people when they lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out of Egypt.18For a period of about forty years He endured their mannersin the wilderness. 19He destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, divided their land by lot, and gave it to the people of Israel. 20All this took about 450 years. After that, God gavethem judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then theyasked for a king. So God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a

man from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled for forty years.22But God removed Saul as their king and raised up David,whom God testified about when He said, ‘I have found Davidthe son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all Idesire.’

23“From this man’s descendants God has raised up Jesusas Israel’s Saviour, just as He promised. 24Before Jesus came,

John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of

Israel. 25

As John was completing his race, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the Christ! But look! He is comingafter me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on His feet.’

26“Men, brothers, descendants of Abraham’s family, andthose among you who revere God, this message of salvationhas been sent to us. 27 The residents of Jerusalem and theirleaders did not recognize who Jesus was, or understand thewords of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, so they ful-

filled the words of the prophets by condemning Him. 28

Althoughthey found no legitimate grounds for the death penalty, theyasked Pilate to put Him to death. 29When they had fulfilled allthat was written about Him, they took Him down from thecross and laid Him in a tomb. 30But God raised Him from thedead! 31He was seen for many days by those who came downwith Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now Hiswitnesses to the people.

32

“And we proclaim the good news to you, that is, the prom-ise made to our fathers. 33 This promise God has fulfilled for us,their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the sec-ond Psalm,



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‘You are My Son,today I have become Your Father.’

(Psalm 2:7)34God raised Him from the dead so that He would never decay,as He said,

‘I will give you the holy and sureblessings promised to David.’ (Isaiah 55:3)

35In another place God says,

‘You will not let Your Holy One see decay.’ (Psalm 16:10)

36“After David had served God’s purpose in his own gener-ation he died. He was buried with his fathers, and his bodydecayed. 37But the One God raised from the dead did not seedecay.

38

“Therefore, brothers, you must understand what we aretelling you: through Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins,39and everyone who believes in Him is justified from everythingthat you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. 40Sobeware that what the prophets have said does not happen to

you:

41‘Look, you mockers,be amazed and perish!

For I will do a work in your daythat you would not believe,even if someone told you.’”(Habakkuk 1:5)

42As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, theywere invited to speak more about these things on the nextSabbath. 43After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed them. So

Paul and Barnabas spoke to them and urged them to continuein the grace of God.



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44 The next Sabbath, almost the entire city gathered to hearthe word of God. 45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they

were filled with jealousy. They insulted Paul and tried to con-tradict everything he said. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas boldlysaid, “We had to speak the word of God to you first. But since

you have rejected it, and have considered yourselves unworthyof eternal life, we will go to the Gentiles— 47as the Lord hascommanded us to do:

‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles,to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”

(Isaiah 49:6)48When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified

the word of the Lord. All who had been appointed for eternallife believed. 49And the word of the Lord spread throughout theentire region. 50But the Jews stirred up the devout women of influence and the leading men of the city, and Paul andBarnabas were persecuted and driven out of that area. 51Sothey shook the dust off their feet in protest and went to the

city of Iconium. 52

And the disciples were filled with joy andwith the Holy Spirit.

The same thing happened in the city of Iconium. Pauland Barnabas entered the Jewish synagogue and spoke

with such power that a large number of Jews and Greeksbelieved. 2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles andpoisoned their minds against the brothers. 3Paul and Barnabas

stayed in Iconium for a long time. They spoke boldly in theLord, who confirmed the message of His grace by performingsigns and wonders through their hands. 4But the people of Iconium were divided. Some sided with the Jews and otherswith the apostles. 5Eventually both the Gentiles and Jews, to-gether with their leaders, planned to attack and stone them.6But when they became aware of it, they fled to the Lycaoniancities of Lystra and Derbe, and to the surrounding region,7where they preached the gospel.

8In Lystra there sat a man who was unable to use his feet.He was born crippled and had never walked. 9As he was lis-tening to Paul speak, Paul looked straight at him and saw that

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he had faith to be healed. 10So Paul said with a loud voice,“Stand up on your feet!” And the man jumped up and began to

walk.11When the Lycaonian’s saw what Paul had done, theyshouted in their language, “The gods have come down to us inhuman form!” 12 They called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul“Hermes,” because he was the main speaker. 13 Then the priestof Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bullsand garlands to the city gates. He intended, along with thecrowd, to offer sacrifices to them.

14

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard aboutthis, they tore their clothes and ran into the crowd, shouting,15“Men! Why are you doing this? We are human beings justlike you! We have come to announce the good news to you, sothat you may turn from these worthless things and serve theliving God—the God who made heaven and earth, the sea, andeverything in them! 16In past generations, God allowed all thenations to go their own way. 17Yet He never left them withoutproof of His existence. For in His kindness He gives you rain

from heaven, crops in their seasons, and He fills your heartswith food and gladness.” 18Even with these words, Paul andBarnabas could hardly stop the crowd from sacrificing tothem.

19 Then some Jews from the cities of Pisidia Antioch andIconium came to Lystra and stirred up the crowd againstthem. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, be-cause they thought he was dead. 20But after the disciples

surrounded him, he got up and entered the city. The next dayhe left with Barnabas for the city of Derbe.

21 They preached the gospel in Derbe and made many dis-ciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and PisidiaAntioch, 22strengthening the hearts of the disciples and en-couraging them to continue in the faith, saying, “We mustendure many trials and persecutions before entering the king-dom of God.” 23After Paul and Barnabas had appointed elders

in each church they prayed and fasted, committing them tothe Lord in whom they had put their trust. 24 Then they trav-elled through the region of Pisidia and came to the province of



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Pamphylia. 25 They preached the word in the city of Perga, andthen went to the city of Attalia.

26From there they sailed back to the city of Antioch, wherethey had been committed to the grace of God for the work theyhad now completed.80 27 They gathered the church togetherwhen they arrived, and told them everything that God haddone through them and how God had opened a door of faith tothe Gentiles. 28And they remained there with the disciples for along time.

Now some men from Judea went up to the city of Antioch, teaching the Gentile believers this doctrine:

“Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses youcannot be saved.” 2Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed andargued with them. So the church decided to send Paul andBarnabas, along with some other believers, to Jerusalem totalk to the apostles and elders about this question. 3 Thechurch sent them on their way. And as they travelled through

Phoenicia and Samaria they told the believers about the con-version of the Gentiles, which brought great joy to them all.

4When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed bythe church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported allthat God had done through them. 5But some believers fromthe party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentilesmust be circumcised; they must be required to keep the law of Moses.”

6So the apostles and elders met together to look into thismatter. 7After much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,“Men, brothers! You know that in the early days God chose mefrom among you, so that through my mouth the Gentileswould hear the gospel message and believe. 8And God, whoknows the heart, showed that He accepted the Gentiles by giv-ing them the Holy Spirit just as He did to us. 9God made nodistinction between them and us, for He cleansed their hearts

by faith. 10

So why are you testing God by putting a yoke on thedisciples’ necks that neither we nor our fathers were able to

80 The end of Paul’s first missionary journey.

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bear? 11No! We believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as they are.”

12 Then the entire crowd listened quietly to Barnabas andPaul tell of all the signs and wonders that God had performedamong the Gentiles through them. 13After they finished speak-ing, James answered and said, “Men, brothers, listen to me.14Simon has told us how God first selected a people for Hisname from among the Gentiles. 15 This lines up with the wordsof the prophets, as it is written:

16

‘After this I will returnand rebuild David’s fallen tent.I will rebuild its ruins

and set it up again,17so that the rest of mankindmay seek the Lord— including all the Gentileswho are called by My name,says the Lord, who does all these things.’

(Amos 9:11-12)18For God has known all His works from eternity.

19“This is my opinion: we should not trouble the Gentileswho are turning to God. 20Instead, we should write and tellthem to abstain from food defiled by idols, from sexual im-morality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and fromconsuming blood. 21For many generations the law of Moses,

which prohibits these things, has been preached in every cityand is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

22 Then the apostles and elders, together with the wholechurch, decided to choose some of their own men to go withPaul and Barnabas to the city of Antioch. They chose Judas,who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, who were both leadingmen among the brothers. 23 They sent a letter with them, whichsaid:

From: The apostles and elders, your brothers.

To: The Gentile brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia,



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Greetings!

24We have heard that some men who came from us havetroubled you with their doctrine. They have upset yourhearts by telling you that you must be circumcised andkeep the law. We did not authorize them to do this! 25So weall decided to choose some of our own men to send to youwith our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26who have riskedtheir lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 There-fore we have sent Judas and Silas to confirm what we havedecided. 28For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to usnot to place any greater burden on you then these require-ments: 29to abstain from food that has been sacrificed toidols, from consuming blood, from eating the meat of stran-gled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you stay awayfrom these things, you will do well.

Farewell.

30As soon as they were sent off, they went up to the city of

Antioch, where they gathered the church together and deliv-ered the letter. 31When they read it, the people rejoiced andwere comforted. 32 Then Judas and Silas, who were also proph-ets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with manywords. 33After spending some time there, the brothers sentthem back to the apostles in peace. 34But Silas decided to turnback, and stayed in Antioch. 35Paul and Barnabas, along withmany others, continued teaching and preaching the word of the Lord in the city of Antioch.

36Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us revisit thebrothers in every city where we have preached the Lord’s word,and see how they are doing.” 37Barnabas wanted to take JohnMark with them. 38But Paul thought that it was a bad idea, be-cause he had previously left them in the province of Pamphyliaand had not continued with them in the work of the gospel.39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they went theirseparate ways. Barnabas took John Mark and sailed to the

Island of Cyprus. 40

Paul, however, chose Silas, and departedafter the brothers had committed him to the grace of God.81

81 The start of Paul’s second missionary journey (A.D. 49-52).



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41Paul travelled through the provinces of Syria and Cilicia,strengthening the churches.

Paul went to the city of Derbe and then to the city of Lystra, where he met a disciple named Timothy. His

mother was a Jewish believer, but his father was a Greek. 2 Thebrothers from the cities of Lystra and Iconium spoke well of

Timothy. 3Paul wanted Timothy to go with him, but all the Jews living in that area knew that his father was a Greek, soPaul took Timothy and circumcised him.

4As they travelled from one city to another, they deliveredthe decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem forthe Gentile believers to obey. 5So the churches were strength-ened in the faith, and daily their numbers increased.

6Paul and Silas travelled through the province of Galatia tothe region of Phrygia, but the Holy Spirit would not allow themto enter the province of Asia to preach the word. 7When they

came to the border of the region of Mysia, they went north andtried to enter the province of Bithynia, but the Spirit would notallow them to. 8So they passed through the region of Mysiauntil they reached the city of Troas. 9 That night Paul had avision: a man from the province of Macedonia was standingthere begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!”10After Paul had seen the vision we immediately planned to goto Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us topreach the gospel to them.

11From the city of Troas we sailed straight to the Island of Samothrace, and the next day we sailed to the city of Neapolis.12From there we travelled to the city of Philippi, a Romancolony, the leading city of that part of Macedonia. And westayed there for a few days. 13On the Sabbath we went outsideof the city to a riverbank, where we thought the Jews mightgather for prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women whohad gathered there. 14A woman named Lydia was among them.

She was a convert to Judaism from the city of Thyatira, amerchant of purple cloth. As she listened, the Lord opened herheart to respond to what Paul was saying. 15After Lydia andher family were baptized, she begged us, “If you are convinced

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that I believe in the Lord, then come to my home and stay withus.” And she compelled us to stay with her.

16One day as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave-girl met us along the way. She was possessed by a spirit of divination, and her fortune-telling earned her master’s a lot of money. 17She followed behind Paul and the rest of us, cryingout, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who pro-claim the way of salvation to us!”

18She did this for many days, until Paul became so annoyedthat he turned to the spirit and said, “I command you in the

name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And instantly itcame out.

19When her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone,they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them to the marketsquare to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before theRoman officials and said, “These Jewish men are causing a lotof trouble in our city! 21 They are teaching unlawful customs,which we Romans cannot accept or observe!” 22A crowd formed

against Paul and Silas, and the officials ordered them to bestripped and beaten with rods. 23After giving them a severebeating, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer toguard them securely. 24Upon receiving such an order, the jailerthrew Paul and Silas into the dungeon and secured their feetin the stocks.

25Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singinghymns to God, while the other prisoners were listening.26

Suddenly there was a great earthquake that shook the foun-dations of the prison, and immediately all the doors wereopened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27When the jailerwoke up and saw the prison doors open, he assumed that theprisoners had escaped and drew his sword to kill himself.28But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm

yourself, we are all here!”

29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trem-

bling before Paul and Silas. 30

Then the jailer brought them outof the dungeon and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”





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not find them, so they dragged Jason and some of the brothersbefore the city officials, shouting, “These men have caused

trouble all over the world, and now they have come here too!7 Jason has welcomed them, even though they all opposeCaesar’s decrees. They say there is another king, whose nameis Jesus!” 8When the crowd and the city officials heard this,they became agitated. 9But they released Jason and the othersafter they had posted bond.

10As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silasto the city of Berea. When they arrived, they went into the

Jewish synagogue. 11

Now the people of Berea were more noblethan those in Thessalonica, for they willingly received the wordand examined the Scriptures daily to see if their teaching wastrue. 12 Therefore many of the Jews believed, along with a num-ber of prominent Greek men and women.

13But when the Jews in Thessalonica found out that Paulwas preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there andstirred up the crowds. 14So the brothers immediately sent Paul

to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. 15

Thosewho escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and then leftwith instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon aspossible.

16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit be-came troubled, because he saw that the city was full of idols.17So he debated in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, and with the people in the marketplace every

day. 18

Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debatewith Paul. Some mocked him, saying, “What does this seedpicker wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming thegood news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they tookPaul and brought him to the Areopagus,82 and asked him, “Can

you tell us more about this new doctrine you are teaching?20Our ears are hearing some strange things, and we would liketo know what they mean.” 21For all those in Athens, native and

82 The Areopagus, “The Hill of Mars,” was the highest court inAthens.



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foreigner, spent their spare time either discussing or listeningto the latest ideas.

22So Paul stood before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I can see that you are extremely religious in every way.23As I walked around and carefully examined the objects of

your worship, I found an altar with this inscription: ‘To anunknown god.’ You worship a god that you do not know, but Iwill tell you about Him.

24“He is the God who made the world and everything in it;

He is Lord of heaven and earth, and He does not live in man-made temples. 25No human hands can serve Him. He has noneed of anything, because He gives everyone life and breathand everything else that is needed. 26From one man God hasmade every nation that lives on the face of the earth, and Hehas set the timelines and boundaries of every nation. 27God didthis so that they would look for Him and perhaps reach outand find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. 28For inHim we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets

have said, ‘We are also His offspring.’ 29

So if we are God’soffspring, we must not think of God as an image of gold orsilver or stone that is made by the skill and imagination of man.

30“God overlooked such ignorance in the past, but now Hecommands all men everywhere to repent. 31For God has set aday when He will judge the world with justice by the Man Hehas appointed. And God has proved this to everyone by raising

this Man from the dead.”32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some

mocked him. But others said, “We would like to hear you againon this subject.” 33 Then Paul left the Areopagus. 34However,some men joined Paul and became believers. Among them wasDionysius, a member of the Areopagus, a woman namedDamaris, and some others.

After this, Paul left Athens and travelled to the city of Corinth. 2 There Paul met a Jew named Aquila, a native

of the province of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy18



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with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius Caesar had orderedall the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3because

they were tent-makers by trade just as he was, and he stayedwith them and worked together with them.

4Paul spoke in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to per-suade both Jews and Greeks. 5When Silas and Timothy ar-rived from the province of Macedonia, Paul was compelled bythe Spirit to testify to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6Butwhen they opposed and insulted Paul, he shook the dust fromhis clothes in protest and said, “Your blood is on your own

heads! I am innocent! From now on I will go to the Gentiles!”7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the

house of a Gentile named Justus, who was a worshiper of God.8Now Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and his entirehousehold believed in the Lord. And after hearing Paul, manyof the Corinthians believed and were baptized.

9One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be

frightened! Keep on speaking and do not be silent. 10

I am with you, and no one will attack or harm you, for I have many peo-ple in this city.” 11So Paul stayed in the city of Corinth for a

year and a half, teaching the word of God among the people.83

12While Gallio was governor of the province of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and dragged him intocourt. 13 They said, “This man is persuading people to worshipGod in ways that are contrary to the law.”

14

Just as Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said tothe Jews, “If this were truly a case of some injustice or seriouscrime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you Jews.15But if it is a question about words and names and of yourlaw, look after it yourselves. I will not be a judge of suchmatters.” 16And he threw them out of his court. 17 Then all theGreeks grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, andbeat him in front of the court. Gallio, however, did not care.

83 It is believed that during this 18 month period in CorinthPaul wrote 1 & 2 Thessalonians.



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18After Paul had remained in the city of Corinth for a while,he left the brothers and went to the town of Cenchrea. There

he shaved his head because of a vow. Then he sailed for Syria,taking Priscilla and Aquila with him. 19 They stopped at the cityof Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. While Paulwas there, he entered the synagogue and reasoned with the

Jews. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. 21As hewas leaving, he said, “By all means I must keep the upcomingfeast in Jerusalem, but I will come back to you again if it isGod’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

22

After Paul arrived at the city of Caesarea, he went down to Jerusalem and greeted the church. Then he went back up tothe city of Antioch.84 23Paul stayed there for a while, then leftand travelled back through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia,strengthening all the disciples.85

24Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos came to the city of Ephesus. He was a native of Alexandria, an intelligent manwho was well versed in the Scriptures. 25He had been instruct-

ed in the way of the Lord, and with a zealous spirit he accu-rately spoke and taught about the things of the Lord, althoughhe only knew about John’s baptism. 26When Aquila andPriscilla heard him speaking boldly in the synagogue, theytook him aside and explained to him the way of God moreaccurately. 27And when Apollos decided to cross over to theprovince of Achaia, the brothers in Ephesus encouraged himand wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he ar-rived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.28

For Apollos powerfully refuted the Jews publicly, provingthrough the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

While Apollos was in the city of Corinth, Paul travelledthrough the interior and came to the city of Ephesus.86

There Paul found some disciples, 2and asked them, “Did youreceive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

84

The end of Paul’s second missionary journey.85 The start of Paul’s third missionary journey (A.D. 53-57).86 Paul wrote 1 Corinthians near the end of his stay inEphesus on his third missionary journey.

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They replied, “No, we have never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”3So Paul asked them, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

And they replied, “John’s baptism.”4Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.But John told the people to believe in the One who was tocome after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.” 5After hearing this,they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paullaid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, andthey spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelvemen in total.

8

Then Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly forthree months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.9But when some of them became stubborn and would not be-lieve, and began to publicly speak against the Way, Paul leftthe synagogue. He took the disciples with him, and held dis-cussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. 10 This continued fortwo years. And all those living in the province of Asia, both

Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord Jesus.

11

God performed extraordinary miracles through the handsof Paul. 12When handkerchiefs and aprons that had touchedhis body were brought to the sick, their diseases were healedand evil spirits left them.

13Now there were some Jewish exorcists who travelled fromplace to place trying to use the name of the Lord Jesus to castout evil spirits, saying, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paulpreaches, I command you to come out!” 14It was the seven sons

of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva who were doing this.15One day an evil spirit answered and said, “I know Jesus,and I am familiar with Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the manwho was possessed by the evil spirit leaped on them, and over-powered them with such force that they fled from the housenaked and wounded.

17When this became known, fear fell upon all the Jews andGreeks living in the city of Ephesus, and the name of the Lord

Jesus was magnified. 18

Many of those who believed came andopenly confessed their evil deeds. 19And many of those whohad practiced magic gathered their scrolls and burned them in



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front of everyone. They added up their value and found themto be worth four million dollars.87 20So the word of God spread

mightily with power.21After this, Paul felt compelled by the Spirit to travel

through the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia and then on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone to Jerusalem, I mustalso visit Rome.” 22After sending two of his helpers, Timothyand Erastus, to the province of Macedonia, Paul stayed awhilelonger in the province of Asia.

23

During that time a great disturbance broke out in the cityof Ephesus concerning the Way. 24It started because of asilversmith named Demetrius. He made silver shrines of theGreek goddess Artemis, and provided a lot of work for thecraftsmen in Ephesus. 25He gathered the craftsmen together,along with those working in similar trades, and said, “Men,

you know that our prosperity depends on this business. 26As you have seen and heard, this man Paul says that man-madegods are not real. He has persuaded and misled large numbers

of people not only in Ephesus, but throughout the entire prov-ince of Asia. 27 There is a danger not only that our business willbe discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddessArtemis will be considered worthless. Then, even though theentire province of Asia and the whole world worships her, herglory will be destroyed.”

28When they heard this they became enraged and cried out,saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The whole city

was in an uproar. The crowd grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus,Paul’s travelling companions from the province of Macedonia.And with one mind they rushed over to the theatre. 30Paulwanted to go in and address the crowd, but the disciples wouldnot let him. 31Some of the officials of the province of Asia, who

87 “They added up their value and found them to be worth fiftythousand drachmas.” A drachma was worth about a day’s

wages. In Canada where I am from, minimum wage is$10(CAD) an hour. $10×8hours=$80. So a day’s wages where Iam from is $80(CAD). 50,000×80=4,000,000. So fifty thousanddrachmas is worth about $4,000,000(CAD).



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were Paul’s friends, sent a message begging him not to enterthe theatre.

32Meanwhile, some shouted one thing and some another. The crowd was confused, and most of them did not know whythey were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexanderout in front. So Alexander motioned with his hand to make hisdefence before the people. 34But when they realized that Alex-ander was a Jew, they all cried out with one voice for abouttwo hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

35

After the city clerk quieted the crowd down he said, “Menof Ephesus! Everyone knows that the city of Ephesus is theguardian of the temple of the great goddess Artemis, whoseimage fell from heaven? 36Since these facts are indisputable,

you must quiet down and not do anything rash. 37 These men you have brought here are not temple-robbers or blasphemersof our goddess. 38So if Demetrius and his fellow craftsmenhave a complaint against anyone, the courts are open andthere are officials available. They can press charges in court.39

If you have any further complaints, they must be settled inthe legal assembly. 40For we are in danger of being chargedwith rioting today, since there is no explanation we can give to

justify this mob.” 41After the city clerk said this, he dismissedthe assembly.

After the uproar was over, Paul summoned the disci-ples and embraced them. Then he left for the province

of Macedonia. 2

Paul travelled through Macedonia,88

greatlyencouraging the believers, and then came to the province of Achaia. 3He stayed in Achaia for three months.89 When he wasabout to sail to Syria, the Jews plotted against him. So Pauldecided to go back through Macedonia. 4 These are the menwho accompanied Paul to the province of Asia: Sopater, whowas from the city of Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, whowere from the city of Thessalonica; Gaius, who was from thecity of Derbe; Timothy; Tychicus and Trophimus, who were

88 Paul wrote 2 Corinthians during this time in Macedonia.89 Paul wrote the book of Romans during this three monthperiod in the city of Corinth.

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from the province of Asia. 5 These men went ahead and waitedfor us in the city of Troas. 6We sailed from the city of Philippi

after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Five days later we joinedthem in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.

7On the first day of the week, the disciples gathered to-gether to break bread, and since Paul was going to leave thenext day, he continued preaching until midnight. 8 There weremany lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.9Sitting in a window was a young man named Eutychus, whofell into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. While he was

sleeping, he fell from the third story and was picked up dead.10Paul went down, threw himself on Eutychus, and embracedhim, saying, “Do not be disturbed; he is alive!” 11 Then Paulwent back up, broke bread, and ate. He talked for a long time,until daybreak, and then left. 12 They took the young man homealive, and were greatly comforted.

13We boarded the ship without Paul, and sailed for the cityof Assos. There we intended to pick him up as arranged, be-

cause he wanted to go on foot. 14

After Paul met up with us inAssos, we took him aboard and went to the city of Mitylene.15 The next day we sailed past the Island of Chios. The followingday we reached the Island of Samos, and stayed at the town of

Trogyllium. A day later we arrived at the city of Miletus. 16ForPaul had decided to sail past the city of Ephesus to avoidspending more time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurryto get to Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

17

From Miletus Paul sent a message to Ephesus, summon-ing the elders of the church. 18When they arrived, Paul said tothem, “You know how I conducted myself the entire time I waswith you, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia. 19Iserved the Lord with great humility and with many tearsthroughout the trials that I went through when the Jewsplotted against me. 20You know that I never failed to tell youwhat was profitable, and that I taught you publicly and fromhouse to house. 21I earnestly testified to both Jews and Greeks

that they must repent and turn to God and put their faith inour Lord Jesus Christ.



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22“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, notknowing what will happen to me there. 23However, the Holy

Spirit warns me in every city that chains and suffering awaitme. 24Nevertheless, I do not worry about these things, I do notconsider my life of any value. My goal is to finish my race with

joy, and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus—theministry of testifying about the gospel of God’s grace.

25“Now I know that none of you whom I have preached thekingdom of God to, will ever see my face again. 26 Therefore,today you are witnesses that I am innocent of the blood of all

of you. 27

For I never failed to tell you about the whole plan of God. 28Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock overwhich the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, shepherdingGod’s church, which He bought with His own blood. 29I knowthat after I leave, vicious wolves will come in among you andwill not spare the flock. 30Some of your own men will rise upand teach distorted doctrines in order to lure the disciples intofollowing them. 31So watch out! Remember that for three years,both night and day, I never stopped warning each one of you

with tears.32“Now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace,

which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritancewith all those who are sanctified. 33I did not covet anyone’ssilver, gold, or clothing. 34You know that I worked with my ownhands to supply my needs and the needs of my companions.35In every way I have shown you that we must work hard likethis in order to help the sick and feeble, remembering the

words of the Lord Jesus when He said, ‘It is more blessed togive than to receive.’”

36After saying this, Paul knelt down with all of them andprayed. 37 They all wept bitterly as they threw their armsaround Paul’s neck and kissed him. 38What grieved them mostof all was Paul’s statement that they would never see his faceagain. Then they escorted him to the ship.

After we had torn ourselves away from them, we sailedstraight to the Island of Cos. The next day we sailed to

the Island of Rhodes, and from there to the city of Patara.21



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2 There we found a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, sowe boarded it and set sail. 3After sighting the Island of Cyprus,

we passed it on our left and sailed on to Syria. We landed atthe city of Tyre, where our ship unloaded its cargo. 4We foundthe disciples and stayed with them for seven days. Throughthe Spirit they warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 5When itwas time to go, we left and continued on our journey. All thedisciples, along with their wives and children, escorted us out-side of the city. Then we knelt down on the shore and prayed.6After embracing one another, we boarded the ship, and theyreturned to their homes.

7We departed from the city of Tyre and sailed to the town of Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with themfor one day. 8 The next day we sailed to the city of Caesarea,and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, who was oneof the Seven.90 9Philip had four virgin daughters who allprophesied.

10Several days later a prophet named Agabus arrived from

Judea. 11

He came over to us and took Paul’s belt, he bound hisown hands and feet with it and said, “This is what the HolySpirit says: ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will bind theman who owns this belt and will hand him over to the Gen-tiles.’” 12When we heard this, we all begged Paul not to godown to Jerusalem.

13But Paul replied, “Why are you weeping? You are breakingmy heart! I am not only ready to be bound, but also to die in

Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus!”14

Since Paul could not be persuaded, we held our peace andsaid, “The Lord’s will be done.”

15After this, we packed up and went down to Jerusalem.16Some of the disciples from the city of Caesarea came alongwith us. They brought us to our host Mnason, a native of Cyprus, who was one of the early disciples.

17When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers gladly wel-

comed us.91 18

The next day we went with Paul to visit James,90 Acts 6:591 The end of Paul’s third missionary journey.



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and all the elders were present. 19After greeting them, Paulexplained in detail what God had done among the Gentiles

through his ministry.20When they heard this, they glorified the Lord and said,

“You see brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed,and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been toldthat you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles toforsake the law of Moses, telling them not to circumcise theirchildren or to follow our customs. 22What should we do? Oncethey hear that you have come, it is inevitable that a crowd will

gather. 23

So this is what you must do: we have four men whohave taken a vow. 24 Take these men and purify yourself alongwith them, and pay for them to have their heads shaved. Theneveryone will realize that the rumours about you are not true,and that you walk in obedience to the law. 25As for the Gentilebelievers, we have written them concerning our decision: theymust abstain from food that has been defiled by idols, fromconsuming blood, from eating the meat of strangled animals,and from sexual immorality.”

26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself alongwith them. Then he entered the temple, and announced to thepriest when their days of purification would end and their of-ferings were to be presented. 27When the seven days were al-most up, some Jews from the province of Asia noticed Paul atthe temple. They stirred up all the people and grabbed Paul,28crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teacheseveryone everywhere against our people, the law of Moses, and

this temple! Furthermore, he has brought Greeks into the tem-ple and has defiled this holy place!” 29For they had previouslyseen Trophimus, a Gentile from the city of Ephesus, with Paulin Jerusalem, and thought that Paul had brought him into thetemple.

30 The people rushed together and grabbed Paul, they drag-ged him out of the temple and immediately shut the gates, andthe whole city was in an uproar. 31As they were about to kill

Paul, word reached the commander of the Roman regimentthat all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32Immediately the com-mander took some of his officers and soldiers and ran down to



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the people. When they saw the commander and his soldiers,they stopped beating Paul.

33 The commander went over and grabbed Paul and com-manded his soldiers to bind him with two chains. Then thecommander inquired who Paul was and what he had done.34Some shouted one thing and some another. And since thecommander was unable to find out anything because of theuproar, he commanded the soldiers to take Paul to the for-tress. 35When Paul reached the stairs, the mob became soviolent that the soldiers had to carry him. 36 The mob followed,

shouting, “Away with him!”37As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the fortress,

he asked the commander, “May I speak to you?” The commander replied, “Do you know Greek? 38Are you

not the Egyptian who started a rebellion some time ago and ledfour thousand assassins into the desert?”

39Paul answered, “I am a Jew from the distinguished city of Tarsus, in the province of Cilicia. I beg you to let me speak to

the people.”40So Paul, with the commander’s permission, stood on thestairs and signalled to the people with his hand. As soon as itwas quiet, Paul said to them in Aramaic:

“Men, brothers, and fathers, listen to my defence!”2When they heard him speaking in Aramaic, they qui-

eted down even more. Then Paul continued, 3“I am a Jew, born

in the city of Tarsus, in the province of Cilicia, but brought uphere in Jerusalem. I was educated under Gamaliel, and thor-oughly trained in the law of our fathers. I was as zealous forGod as all of you are today. 4I persecuted the followers of theWay, and some were even put to death. I arrested both menand women and threw them into prison. 5 The high priest andthe entire Sanhedrin can testify to this. They also gave meletters to bring to the brothers in Damascus, so that I couldarrest them and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.

6“Around noontime, as I was nearing the city of Damascus,a bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7I fell to

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the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Whyare you persecuting Me?’

8

I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He replied, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the One you are perse-cuting.’ 9 The men who were with me saw the light and becameafraid, because they did not understand the voice of the Onewho was speaking to me.

10I asked, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go into the city of

Damascus, there you will be told about everything that youhave been appointed to do.’ 11I could not see because of the

glory of the light, so my companions led me by the hand intoDamascus.

12“Now there was a godly man named Ananias, who walkedaccording to the law and was highly respected by all the Jewsliving in Damascus. 13He came and stood beside me and said,‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And instantly I looked upand saw him.

14 Then Ananias said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen

you to know His will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear thesound of His voice. 15You will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16Now what are you waiting for? Getup! Call on the name of the Lord, so that your sins may bewashed away, and be baptized!’

17“When I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the tem-ple and fell into a trance.92 18I saw the Lord saying to me,‘Hurry! Get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not re-

ceive your testimony about Me.’ 19I replied, ‘Lord, they know that I went from synagogue tosynagogue imprisoning and beating those who believed in You.20And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was shed, Iconsented to his death. I even stood and guarded the coats of those who were killing him.’

21But the Lord said to me, ‘Go! I am sending you far away tothe Gentiles!’”

22

They listened to Paul up to this point, and then raised92 This happened three years after Paul’s conversion (Galatians1:15-18).



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their voices and said, “Rid the earth of this man! He is not fitto live!” 23As they shouted, they threw off their coats and

tossed dust into the air. 24

The commander ordered the soldiersto bring Paul into the fortress. He told them to whip and in-terrogate him, so that he could find out why the people were

yelling at him like this.

25But as they were tying him up to be whipped, Paul askedthe officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Romancitizen without a trial?”

26When the officer heard this he went and reported it to the

commander, saying, “Do you realize what you are doing? Thisman is a Roman citizen!”27 The commander went and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a

Roman citizen?”“Yes,” Paul answered.28 The commander said, “I acquired my citizenship with a

large sum of money.”Paul replied, “But I was born a Roman citizen.”29Immediately, those who were about to examine him with-

drew. The commander became afraid when he realized that hehad tied up a Roman citizen.

30 The next day the commander, intending to find out exactlywhat the Jews were accusing him of doing, commanded thechief priests and the entire Sanhedrin to assemble. Then heunchained Paul and brought him down to stand before theSanhedrin.

Paul looked directly at the Sanhedrin and said, “Men,brothers, to this very day I have lived before God with a

clear conscience.” 2 Then the high priest Ananias ordered thosewho were standing beside Paul to slap him on the mouth. 3Inresponse, Paul said to him, “God will slap you, you white-washed wall! You sit there and judge me according to the law,

yet you have violated the law by ordering them to slap me!”4 Those who were standing beside Paul said, “Do you dare

insult God’s high priest?”

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5Paul answered, “Brothers, I was not aware that he was thehigh priest. For it is written,

‘You must not curse the ruler of your people.’”(Exodus 22:28)

6When Paul realized that the Sanhedrin was comprised of both Sadducees and Pharisees, he cried out, “I am a Pharisee,brothers, just as my father was a Pharisee! I am on trial be-cause of my hope that the dead will be resurrected!” 7AfterPaul said this, the Pharisees and Sadducees began to argue,

and the Sanhedrin was divided. 8

For the Sadducees say thatthere is no resurrection, angels, or spirits. But the Phariseesbelieve in them all. 9 There was a great commotion. Then someof the teachers of the law, who were Pharisees, stood up andargued, “We find nothing wrong with this man. But if a spiritor an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God!”10 The dispute escalated so much that the commander fearedthey would tear Paul to pieces. So he commanded the soldiersto go down and take Paul by force, and to bring him back into

the fortress.11 That night the Lord stood by his side and said, “Take

courage, Paul! Just as you have testified about me in Jeru-salem, you must also testify about me in Rome.”

12 The next morning the Jews formed a secret alliance, andbound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until theyhad killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty men involved in

this plot. 14

They went to the high priest and the elders andsaid, “We have bound ourselves with an oath not to eat any-thing until we have killed Paul. 15Now this is what you mustdo: you and the Sanhedrin must ask the commander to bringhim to you tomorrow, so that you may investigate his case inmore detail. And we will kill him before he gets here.”

16But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the am-bush, he went to the fortress and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called

one of the officers over and said, “Bring this young man to thecommander, because he has something to tell him.”



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18So the officer took him to the commander and said, “Paul,the prisoner, called me over. He asked me to bring this young

man to you, because he has something to tell you.”19 Then the commander took him by the hand, led him asideprivately, and asked, “What do you want to tell me?”

20 The young man said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you tobring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow, so that they mayinvestigate his case in more detail. 21Do not believe them, be-cause more than forty men are planning to ambush him. Theyhave taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killedhim, and they are ready and waiting for your consent.”

22 The commander dismissed the young man, cautioninghim, “Do not tell anyone what you have told me.” 23 Then thecommander summoned two of his officers and said, “Preparetwo hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundredspearmen to leave for the city of Caesarea at nine o’clocktonight. 24Provide horses for Paul to ride, and bring him safelyto Governor Felix.” 25 Then he wrote a letter to the Governor,which said:

26From: Claudius Lysias.

To: His Excellency, Governor Felix,

Greetings!

27 The Jews seized this man and were about to kill him,but I came with my troops and rescued him. When I real-

ized that he was a Roman citizen, 28

I wanted to find outexactly what the Jews were charging him with. So I broughthim before their Sanhedrin. 29I found out that he was beingaccused of questions regarding their law, but there was nocharge against him that was worthy of death or impris-onment. 30When it was reported to me that the Jews wereplotting to kill this man, I immediately sent him to you. Ialso ordered his accusers to present their charges before

you.

Farewell.



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31So the soldiers did what they were commanded, and tookPaul to the city of Antipatris during the night. 32 The next day

the horsemen took Paul to the city of Caesarea, while the restreturned to the fortress in Jerusalem. 33When the horsemenarrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governorand presented Paul to him. 34 The governor read the letter andasked Paul what province he was from. When he learned thatPaul was from the province of Cilicia, 35he said, “I will hear

your case when your accusers get here.” Then he gave ordersto confine Paul in Herod’s palace.

Five days later the high priest Ananias went up to thecity of Caesarea with some of the elders and an attor-

ney named Tertullus, and they presented their case againstPaul to the governor. 2When Paul was called in, Tertullus pre-sented his case: “We have enjoyed much peace, because of thereforms you have made to this nation through your foresight.3We are always thankful for what you have done, most ex-cellent Felix, and we acknowledge this everywhere we go. 4But

in order not to take up anymore of your time, I beg you tokindly listen to us for a moment.

5“We have found this man to be a plague that stirs up riotsamong all the Jews throughout the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect. 6He even tried to desecrate the temple, sowe arrested him. We were going to judge him according to ourlaw. 7But commander Lysias came with great force and tookhim from our hands, 8and commanded us to present our case

to you. By examining him for yourself, you will become fullyacquainted with the accusations we are bringing against him.”9 Then the other Jews joined in, alleging that these things weretrue.

10 Then the governor signalled for Paul to speak. So Paulresponded, “I know that you have been a judge over this nationfor many years, so I gladly make my defence. 11You will findthat I arrived in Jerusalem twelve days ago to worship. 12My

accusers did not find me stirring up a crowd or arguing withanyone in the temple, the synagogues, or in the city. 13 Theycannot prove their accusations against me. 14But I will confessthat I am a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I wor-

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ship the God of our fathers and believe everything that is writ-ten in the Law and the Prophets. 15I have the same hope in

God as these men have—that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and unrighteous from the dead. 16 That iswhy I always try to have a clear conscience before God andman.

17“After several years, I returned to Jerusalem to bring acharitable gift to my nation and to offer sacrifices. 18I wasneither with a crowd nor causing a disturbance. When mydays of purification were almost complete, some Jews from the

province of Asia saw me in the temple— 19

they are the oneswho should be here accusing me, if they have anything againstme. 20Or else these men should state what crime they foundme guilty of when I stood before the Sanhedrin, 21other thanwhat I shouted when I stood before them: ‘I am on trial before

you today because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead!’”

22 Then Felix, who had a detailed knowledge of the Way, ad- journed the hearing, saying, “When commander Lysias comes,

I will decide your case.” 23

Felix commanded an officer to guardPaul. He was to give Paul some freedom, and was to allow hisfriends to visit him and to take care of his needs.

24Several days later, Felix came with his Jewish wifeDrusilla. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faithin Christ. 25As Paul spoke to them about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, Felix became afraid andsaid, “Go now, when I have time I will summon you.” 26Felix

sent for Paul frequently and talked with him, hoping that Paulwould bribe him.

27 Two years later, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus.But since Felix wanted to do the Jews a favour, he left Paul inprison.

Three days after Festus arrived in the province of

Judea, he went down from the city of Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2 There the high priest and the Jewish elderspresented their case against Paul. 3 They asked Festus to bringPaul to Jerusalem as a favour to them, because they were25





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argued with him about certain matters regarding their religionand about a dead man named Jesus, who Paul said was alive.20

I had no idea how to investigate these claims, so I asked Paulif he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there onthese charges. 21But Paul appealed to Caesar, so I commandedhim to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar.”

22 Then King Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear thisman.”

Festus replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”

23

The next day King Agrippa and Bernice entered the audi-torium with royal splendour, accompanied by the command-ers and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave thecommand, and Paul was brought in. 24Festus said, “King Ag-rippa, and all who are present, look at this man. The whole

Jewish community has petitioned me in both Caesarea and Jerusalem, shouting that he should no longer live. 25I foundthat he has done nothing worthy of death. But since he hasappealed to Caesar, I have decided to send him to Rome. 26But

I have nothing definite to write to Caesar about him. So I havebrought him before all of you, especially before you, King Ag-rippa, so that I may have something to write after we examinehim. 27For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisonerwithout indicating the charges against him.”

Then King Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speakon your own behalf.”

So Paul stretched out his hand and made his defence:2“King Agrippa, I am very fortunate to make my defence before

you today concerning all the accusations the Jews havebrought against me, 3for I know that you are well acquaintedwith all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg

you to listen to me patiently.

4“All the Jews know how I have lived my life, both in my own

country and in Jerusalem, from the beginning of my youth.5 They have known me from the beginning, if they will admit it,because I was a member of the Pharisees—the strictest partyof our religion. 6And now I stand here on trial because of my

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hope in the promise that God made to our fathers. 7 This is thepromise that the twelve tribes of Israel hope to attain as they

earnestly serve God night and day. The Jews are bringingthese accusations against me, King Agrippa, because of thishope! 8What? Do you think it is impossible for God to raise thedead?

9“I once thought I should do everything possible to opposethe name of Jesus of Nazareth, 10and that is exactly what I didin Jerusalem. I received authority from the chief priests to im-prison many of the saints, and I cast my vote against them

when they were put to death. 11

In synagogue after synagogue Ipunished them frequently, trying to force them to blaspheme.My rage was so great against them that I even persecuted themin foreign cities.

12“On one such occasion, I was heading for the city of Dam-ascus with the permission and authority of the chief priests.13At about noon, King Agrippa, as I was travelling along theroad, I saw a light from heaven that was brighter than the sun,

shining around me and my companions. 14

We all fell to theground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul!Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kickagainst the goads.’ 15I asked, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ He an-swered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting. 16Now getup and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint

you as My servant and witness. You will testify of what youhave seen, and what I will show you. 17I will deliver you from

your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to

the Gentiles, 18

to open their eyes so that they turn from dark-ness to light and from the power of satan to God, so that theymay receive forgiveness for their sins and an inheritanceamong those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

19“So, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenlyvision. 20First I preached to those in Damascus, then to thosein Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, thatthey should repent and turn to God—showing their repentance

by their deeds. 21

That is why the Jews grabbed me in thetemple and tried to kill me. 22But I have received God’s help tothis very day, so that I can stand and testify to both small andgreat, preaching nothing but what the prophets and Moses



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said would happen— 23that the Christ would suffer and be thefirst to rise from the dead, and by doing so would proclaim

light to our people and to the Gentiles.”24At this part of Paul’s defence, Festus shouted, “You are

insane, Paul! All that learning has made you crazy!”25But Paul replied, “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,

because the words I speak are true and rational. 26And sinceKing Agrippa knows about these things, I can speak frankly tohim. I am sure that none of this has escaped his attention,because it was not done in a corner. 27King Agrippa, do you

believe the prophets? I know you believe them.”28 Then King Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think you can

persuade me to become a Christian so quickly?”29Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that

not only you, but everyone listening to me today, might be-come as I am, except for these chains!”

30After Paul finished speaking, King Agrippa, governor Fes-

tus, Bernice, and those who were sitting with them got up.31As they were leaving, they said to one another, “This manhas done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment.”

32 Then King Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could havebeen released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, Pauland some other prisoners were delivered to an officer of

the imperial regiment named Julius. 2

We boarded a ship fromthe city of Adramyttium, which was headed for various portsalong the coast of the province of Asia. We were accompaniedby Aristarchus, a Macedonian from the city of Thessalonica.3 The next day we arrived at the city of Sidon. There Juliuskindly allowed Paul to visit his friends, so that they could carefor his needs. 4We left Sidon and sailed up along the northernside of the Island of Cyprus, because the winds were againstus. 5 Then we crossed over the sea and sailed along the coast of

the provinces of Cilicia and Pamphylia until we reached thecity of Myra in the province of Lycia. 6 There the officer foundan Alexandrian ship headed for Italy, and put us aboard it.7After sailing slowly for many days, we neared the city of

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Cnidus with great difficulty. Since the wind was against us, wesailed down to the Island of Crete. We sailed around the Cape

of Salmone, and then along the southern side of the island.8We sailed with great difficulty along the coast of Crete until wecame to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9We had lost a lot of time and it was now too risky to sail,for the Day of Atonement had already past. So Paul warnedthem, 10“Men, I can see that this voyage will be hazardous, notonly endangering the ship and its cargo but also our lives.”11But the officer believed the helmsman and the ship’s captain

rather than Paul. 12

Since Fair Havens was not a suitable placeto spend the winter, the majority of the crew decided to sailalong the coast. They hoped to somehow make it to Phoenix, aharbour of Crete, which faced both southwest and northwest,where they could spend the winter safely.

13When a gentle south wind began to blow, the crewthought they had obtained what they wanted. So they raisedthe anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14But soon

after we experienced a gale force wind called the Northeaster.15 The ship was caught in the storm and could not face thewind, so the crew gave up and let the wind carry us along.16We passed to the left of a small island called Clauda, wherewe were barely able to secure the ship’s lifeboat. 17Afterhoisting the lifeboat aboard, the crew bound ropes around theship’s hull to reinforce it. They feared being driven across tothe sandbars of Syrtis, so they lowered the sail and driftedalong. 18 The next day, as the storm violently tossed the ship to

and fro, they began throwing the ship’s cargo overboard. 19

Onthe third day, the crew threw the ship’s tackle overboard withtheir own hands. 20Since the storm continued to rage againstus, and we had not seen the sun or stars for many days, welost all hope of being saved.

21 The crew had not eaten for quite some time, so Paul stoodamong them and said, “Men, if only you had listened to me. If

you had not sailed from Crete, you would have avoided all of

this damage and loss. 22

But take courage! No man will lose hislife, only the ship will be destroyed. 23For an angel of the Godto whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me last night



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24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand beforeCaesar. Look! God has granted you the safety of everyone who

is sailing with you.’ 25

So take courage, men! For I have faith inGod that everything will turn out exactly as I have been told.26Nevertheless, we will run aground on some island.”

27On the fourteenth night, at about midnight, as we werebeing tossed about in the Adriatic Sea, the crew thought wewere approaching land. 28So they took soundings and foundthe water to be 120 feet deep. A little while later they tookanother sounding and found the water to be 90 feet deep.29

Fearing that they would be driven into the rocks, they drop-ped four anchors from the ship’s stern and prayed for day tocome. 30In an attempt to abandon the ship, the crew loweredthe lifeboat into the sea. They acted as if they were going tolower anchors from the ship’s bow, 31but Paul said to the of-ficer and the soldiers, “If these men do not remain aboard theship, you cannot be saved!” 32So the soldiers cut the ropes of the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33

Just before daybreak, Paul begged them all to eat somefood. He said, “You have been so anxious that you have gonewithout food for fourteen days. 34For your own safety I beg youto eat some food. For none of you will lose a single hair from

your head.” 35After he said this, Paul took some bread andgave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it andbegan to eat. 36 This encouraged everyone and they all ate somefood. 37Altogether there were 276 of us on board the ship.38After they had enough to eat, they lightened the ship by toss-

ing the wheat into the sea.39When day came they saw land, but did not recognize it.

When they discovered a bay with a sandy beach, they decidedto try and run the ship aground. 40So they cut loose theanchors and left them in the sea. Then they untied the ropesthat held the rudders, raised the foresail to the wind, andheaded for the beach. 41But they crossed an area where twocurrents met, and the ship struck a sandbar. The bow was

stuck and would not move, and the stern broke up becausethe waves were so violent.



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42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them could swim off and escape. 43But the officer wanted to

save Paul, so he put an end to their plans. He commandedthose who could swim to jump overboard first, so that theycould make it to land. 44 The rest were to follow on planks andother pieces of the ship. In this way everyone made it to shoresafely.

Once we were safely on shore, we learned that the is-land was called Malta. 2 The islanders were very kind to

us. They made a fire in the cold and rain and welcomed all of us. 3As Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on thefire, a viper darted out of the heat and bit down on his hand.4When the islanders saw the viper hanging from Paul’s hand,they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer!

Though he has escaped from the sea, justice will not permithim to live.” 5But Paul shook the viper off into the fire and wasnot harmed. 6 They expected Paul to swell up or suddenly dropdead, so they watched and waited for a long time, but nothing

unusual happened to him. So they changed their minds andsaid that he was a god.

7 The governor of the island, Publius, owned land nearby. Hewelcomed us kindly and entertained us for three days. 8It sohappened that Publius’ father was sick in bed with fever anddysentery. So Paul went in and prayed for him; he laid handson him, and he was healed. 9After this, the rest of the is-landers who were sick came to him and were healed. 10 They

honoured us with many honours. And when we were about tosail, they supplied us with everything we needed.

11After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship thathad wintered at the island—it had the twin sons of Jupiter,Castor and Pollux, as its figurehead. 12We stopped at the cityof Syracuse and stayed there for three days. 13From Syracusewe sailed up to the city of Rhegium. The next day a south windbegan to blow, and the following day we came to the city of

Puteoli. 14

There we found some believers who invited us to staywith them for a week. After this we left for Rome. 15When thebrothers heard about us, they came as far as the town of Appius’ market and the town of Three Inns to meet us. When

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Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged. 16Whenwe arrived in Rome, the officer delivered the prisoners to the

captain of the guard. But Paul was allowed to live by himself,with a soldier guarding him.

17 Three days later Paul called the Jewish leaders together.When they had assembled, he said to them, “Men, brothers,although I have done nothing against our people or against thecustoms of our fathers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and washanded over to the Romans. 18After they examined me, theywanted to release me, because I had committed no crime wor-

thy of death. 19

But when the Jews objected, I had no choicebut to appeal to Caesar—even though I actually had no charg-es to bring against my own people. 20 That is why I have askedto see you and to speak with you. For I am bound with thischain because I believe in the hope of Israel.”

21 They answered Paul, “We have received no letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the Jewish brothers whohave come from there have reported or mentioned anything

bad about you. 22

But we are interested in hearing what youbelieve, because we know that people everywhere are speakingagainst this sect.”

23So a day was set, and on that day a large number of Jewscame to his residence. From morning until evening Paulexplained and testified about the kingdom of God, trying topersuade them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and theProphets. 24Some were persuaded by what Paul said, but

others would not believe. 25

Unable to agree among themselves,they left after Paul made this one last statement: “The HolySpirit was right when He said to our fathers through Isaiah theprophet,

26‘Go to this people and say: you will hear with your earsbut never understand,

you will look with your eyes

but never see.



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27For the heart of this peoplehas become calloused.

They hear with dull ears,and have closed their eyes.For this reason they cannot see

with their eyes,or hear with their ears,or understand with their hearts.

If they did, they would turn to Me,and I would heal them.’ (Isaiah 6:9-10)

28“Let it be clearly understood that God’s salvation has beensent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” 29After Paul saidthis, the Jews left debating among themselves.

30Paul stayed in Rome for two full years in his own rentedplace, welcoming everyone who came to visit him.93 31With allboldness, and without hindrance, Paul proclaimed the king-dom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

93 During Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome he wrote Ephe-sians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.



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Romans

From: Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostleand set apart for the gospel of God. 2 This is the gospel God

promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scrip-tures. 3 This gospel is about His Son, who according to theflesh was a descendant of David. 4He was declared the Son of God when He was raised from the dead in power through theSpirit of holiness. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through Him

we have received this grace and apostleship, to promote obe-dience to the message of faith among all the Gentiles for Hisname’s sake. 6And you were also called from among the Gen-tiles to belong to Jesus Christ.

7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to besaints:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord

Jesus Christ!

8First of all, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported throughout the wholeworld. 9For God, whom I serve in my spirit by preaching thegospel of His Son, is my witness that I do not stop mentioning

you in my prayers. 10In my prayers, I always petition God thatsomehow by His will I may now finally succeed in coming to

you. 11For I long to see you, so that I may impart some spir-

itual gift to strengthen you, 12

so that we may be mutuallyencouraged by one another’s faith.

13Brothers, I want you to know that I intended to visit youon many occasions, so that I might reap a harvest among youas I have among the other Gentiles, but I was prevented untilnow. 14I am obligated to preach the gospel to both Greeks andforeigners, to both the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I amvery eager to preach the gospel to you who live in Rome.

16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; it is thepowerful means by which God brings salvation to all who

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believe—first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17For it is re-vealed in the gospel that the righteousness of God is only

obtained, from start to finish, by faith. As it is written:

“The righteous will live by faith.”(Habakkuk 2:4)

18From heaven God shows his displeasure against all theungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold back thetruth by their wickedness. 19What can be known about God isobvious to them, because God has made it obvious to them.20

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes,His eternal power and Godhead, have been clearly seen andunderstood from what has been made. That is why men arewithout excuse. 21For they knew about God but still refused toglorify Him as God or express their gratitude, but instead, theybecame foolish in their reasoning and their foolish hearts weredarkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools. 23Andthey exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images madein the likeness of mortal man, birds, animals, and reptiles.

24So God gave them over to the lusts of their hearts, toimpurity, and to the shameful degrading of their bodies withone another. 25 They exchanged God’s truth for a lie, and wor-shiped and served what was created instead of the Creator— who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 That is why God has given them over to their degradinglusts. Even their women have exchanged their natural sexual

relations for one that is not natural. 27

Likewise, the men havealso forsaken their natural sexual relations with a women, andhave burned with lust for one another; men committing inde-cent acts with men, and receiving within themselves the duepenalty for their error.

28Since they did not like to acknowledge God, God gavethem over to a destitute mind and let them do what isimproper. 29 They have become filled with all unrighteousness,

fornication, wickedness, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and maliciousness. They are gos-sipers, 30slanders, and God-haters. They are despiteful and ar-rogant. They are braggers. They are inventors of evil. They are



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disobedient to their parents. 31 They are without understand-ing. They are covenant-breakers. They are without natural

affection. They are unforgiving, and unmerciful. 32

Althoughthey know God’s righteous judgment, that those who do suchthings are worthy of death, they not only do these things butare pleased with those who practice them.

The man who judges someone else is without excuse. Forin judging others you condemn yourself, because you also

do the same things you judge others for doing. 2Now we know

that God’s judgment is according to the truth and is againstthose who do such things. 3Do you think you will escape God’s judgment when you judge someone, and yet practice the samethings they do? 4Or do you despise the riches of His kindness,tolerance, and patience, being ignorant of the fact that God’skindness leads you to repentance? 5But because of the hard-ness of your unrepentant hearts you are storing up wrathagainst yourselves for the day of wrath, when the righteous

judgment of God will be revealed. 6For He will repay each man

according to his deeds. 7

Those who persist in doing gooddeeds, because they desire to obtain glory and honour andimmortality, will receive eternal life. 8But those who contendagainst God, and obey unrighteousness instead of the truth,will receive wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulationand distress for the soul of every man who does evil—first forthe Jew, then for the Gentile. 10But there will be glory, honourand peace for everyone who does good—first for the Jew, thenfor the Gentile. 11For there is no favouritism with God.

12Whoever sins apart from the law will also perish apartfrom the law, and whoever sins under the law will be judged bythe law. 13 Those who hear the law are not justified before God,only the doers of the law will be justified before God. 14For if the Gentiles, who do not possess the law, instinctively do whatis required by the law, even though they do not have the law,they are a law to themselves—knowing right from wrong.15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on

their hearts, their own conscience bears witness to this, be-cause their thoughts either accuse or defend them. 16 This willhappen on the day when God will judge the secrets of menthrough Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

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17Now if you call yourself a Jew, and if you rely on the lawand boast in God, 18and if you know His will and approve of

what is more excellent, because you have been instructed inthe law; 19if you are confident that you are a guide for the blindand a light for those in darkness, 20and an instructor of thefoolish and a teacher of infants, because you have the embodi-ment of knowledge and truth in the law— 21then you who teachothers, do you not teach yourself? You who teach against steal-ing, do you steal? 22You who teach against adultery, do youcommit adultery? You who detest idols, do you commit idola-trous acts? 23You who boast about the law, do you break the

law and dishonour God?24 Just as it is written:

“God’s name is blasphemed among theGentiles because of you.”(Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:22)

25Circumcision only profits you if you keep the law, but if

you break the law, your circumcision will be counted as uncir-cumcision. 26If those who are uncircumcised keep the law’srequirements, will not their uncircumcision be counted as cir-cumcision? 27 Those who are physically uncircumcised but keepthe law, will condemn those who have been given the writtenlaw and circumcision but have violated it. 28No man is a Jew

just because he is one outwardly, neither is circumcision justsomething that is outward and physical. 29For a real Jew isone inwardly, and true circumcision is circumcision of the

heart, done by the Spirit, not by the law. That man’s praise willnot come from men, but from God.

What advantage is there in being a Jew, or what profit isthere in circumcision? 2A lot! First of all, they were en-

trusted with the words of God. 3What if some did not believe?Will their unbelief stop God’s faithfulness? 4Never! Let God betrue and every man a liar, as it is written,

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15“Their feet are quick to shed blood.16Destruction and calamity lie in their path.17

The way of peace they do not know.”(Isaiah 59:7-8; Proverbs 1:16)

18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”(Psalm 36:1)

19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to thosewho are under the law, so that every mouth may be silencedand the whole world may be found guilty before God.20

Whoever observes the law cannot be justified in God’s sight,because the purpose of the law is to show us that we aresinners.

21But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness hasbeen revealed, the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it,22that God’s righteousness is only obtained through faith in

Jesus Christ. It is for all who believe; there is no differencebetween Jew and Gentile. 23For all have sinned and fall short

of the glory of God. 24

We are justified freely by God’s gracethrough the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 25God pre-sented Him as the sacrifice of atonement, which can only beobtained through faith in His blood. God demonstrated Hisrighteousness by patiently waiting to deal with the sins com-mitted in the past. 26He did this to demonstrate His righteous-ness at the present time, for He is just and He is the One who

justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

27

Where then is boasting? It is excluded! On what principleis boasting excluded, on the principle of works? No, it is ex-cluded on the principle of faith. 28So we conclude that a man is

justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29Or is Godonly the God of the Jews? Is He not the God of the Gentilestoo? Yes, He is the God of the Gentiles too. 30For there is onlyone God, and He will justify both the circumcised and the un-circumcised by the same faith. 31Do we then make the law voidby this faith? Never! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

So what can we say concerning what our forefatherAbraham found? 2If Abraham was justified by works, then4



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he could boast—but not before God! 3For what does the Scrip-ture say?

“Abraham believed God,and it was credited to him as righteousness.”(Genesis 15:6)

4When a man works, his pay is not credited to him as a giftbut what he is owed. 5 Those who do not live by works, butbelieve in God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is creditedto them as righteousness. 6David also describes the blessed-

ness of the man whom God credits with righteousness apartfrom works:

7“Blessed are those whose transgressionis forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord willnot count against him.”(Psalm 32:1-2)

9

Therefore, is this blessing only for the circumcised or alsofor the uncircumcised? We have told you that Abraham’s faithwas credited to him as righteousness. 10 Therefore, how was itcredited? Was he circumcised or uncircumcised? He was un-circumcised, not circumcised! 11He received circumcision as asign and seal of the righteousness that he had by faith beforehe was circumcised. He is the father of all who believe and areuncircumcised, so that righteousness can also be credited tothem as well. 12He is also the father of the circumcised who are

not only circumcised, but who also walk in the same footstepsof faith as our father Abraham did when he was uncircum-cised.

13For the promise that Abraham and his descendants wouldbe heir of the world did not come through the law, but throughthe righteousness of faith. 14If those who observe the law areheirs, then faith is useless and the promise is worthless. 15 Thelaw brings wrath. But where there is no law, there is no vio-

lation of the law.16 That is why the promise is obtained by faith, so that it

may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s



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descendants—not only for those who have the law but also forthose who possess the same faith as Abraham, who is the

father of us all. 17

As it is written:

“I have made you a father of many nations.”(Genesis 17:5)

So Abraham believed God, who gives life to the dead and callsthings into existence that do not exist. 18Against all hopeAbraham believed in hope, so that he would become the fatherof many nations, as he had been told:

“So will your descendants be.”(Genesis 15:5)

19Abraham was not weak in his faith, though he knew that hisbody was about a hundred years old and that Sarah’s wombwas dead. 20He did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief,instead, his faith was strong and he gave glory to God. 21ForAbraham was fully persuaded that God was able to accomplish

what He had promised. 22

Therefore,

“it was credited to him as righteousness.”(Genesis 15:6)

23 The words “it was credited to him” were not only written forAbraham, 24but also for us. It will also be credited to us, if webelieve in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25Hewas delivered over to death because of our sins, and was

raised to life for our justification.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we havepeace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through

Him we have obtained access, by faith, to this grace in whichwe stand. Therefore, we boast in our hope of God’s glory. 3Butthat is not all. We also boast in tribulations, knowing thattribulation produces endurance, 4endurance produces char-

acter, and character produces hope. 5

And hope does not dis-appoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into ourhearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

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6For while we were still helpless, Christ came at the propertime and died for the ungodly. 7Most people would not be will-

ing to die for an upright man, though some might be willing todie for a good friend. 8But this is how God demonstrated Hislove to us: while we were sinners, Christ died for us. 9Now thatwe have been justified by Christ’s blood, how much more willwe be saved from God’s wrath through Him! 10For if we werereconciled to God through the death of His Son while we wereHis enemies, how much more will we be saved through the lifeof His Son now that we have been reconciled! 11 That is not all,we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through

whom we have now received reconciliation.12Sin entered the world through one man, and death came

as a result of sin. Therefore death came to all mankind, be-cause all mankind have sinned. 13Sin was in the world beforethe law was given. But where there is no law, no one ischarged with sin. 14Nevertheless, death reigned from the timeof Adam until the time of Moses, even over those who did notsin in the same way as Adam did when he broke God’s com-

mandment. Now Adam was symbolic of the One who was tocome. 15But the free gift is not like the offense. For if manydied because of the offence of one man, how much more willGod’s grace and the free gift that came by the grace of oneMan, Jesus Christ, abound to many! 16 The free gift is not likethe one man’s sin. For God’s judgment of Adam’s one sinbrought condemnation, but the free gift came after many of-fences and brought justification. 17For if by the offence of oneman, death reigned through that one man, how much more

will those who receive God’s abundant grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one Man, Jesus Christ!

18One offence brought condemnation to all men, but onerighteous act brought justification and life to all men. 19Forthrough the disobedience of one man many were made sin-ners, but through the obedience of one Man many will be maderighteous.

20

The law was given so that sin would increase. But wheresin increased, grace increased even more, 21so that, just as sinreigned in death, grace might also reign through righteousnessto bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.



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What should we say then? Do we continue to sin so thatgrace may increase? 2Never! If we have died to sin, how

can we still live in sin? 3

Do you not know that all who havebeen baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into Hisdeath? 4We have been baptized into His death and have beenburied with Him, in order that just as Christ was raised fromthe dead by the Father’s glory, we too may live in newness of life.

5Since we have been united with Him in the likeness of Hisdeath, we will also be united with Him in the likeness of His

resurrection. 6

We know that our old man was crucified withChrist so that the body of sin might be destroyed, that weshould no longer be slaves to sin. 7Whoever has died withChrist has been set free from sin. 8And if we have died withChrist, we believe that we will also live with Him. 9We knowthat Christ has been raised from the dead and can no longerdie, because death no longer has dominion over Him. 10In Hisdeath He died to sin once and for all, but now that He lives Helives for God. 11So count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to

God in Christ Jesus.12Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey

its lusts. 13Do not devote any part of your body to sin, as in-struments of unrighteousness. But devote yourselves to God,as those who have been raised from death to life, devoting theparts of your body to God, as instruments of righteousness.14For sin will not have dominion over you, because you are notunder the law but under grace.

15So what should we do then? Should we sin because weare not under the law but under grace? Never! 16Do you notknow that when you devote yourselves as obedient slaves, youare slaves to that which you obey—whether to sin that bringsdeath, or to obedience that brings righteousness? 17But thanksbe to God! For you were once slaves to sin, but now you havewholeheartedly obeyed the pattern of teaching that was deliv-ered to you. 18And since you have been set free from sin, you

have become slaves of righteousness. 19

I am speaking to you insimple human terms, because your flesh is weak. Just as youonce devoted the parts of your body as slaves of impurity,

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doing one lawless act after another, now devote the parts of your body as slaves of righteousness, which leads to holiness.

20When you were slaves to sin, you were free from right-eousness. 21In the past you did things you are now ashamedof, but what fruit did you reap from doing those things thatend in death? 22But now you have been set free from sin andhave become God’s slaves, now you reap the fruit of holiness,which results in eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death,but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ ourLord.

Do you not know, brothers—I speak to those who know thelaw—that the law only has authority over a man as long as

he lives? 2A married woman is bound to her husband by thelaw for as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she isreleased from the law concerning her husband. 3Now if herhusband is alive and she marries another man, she is calledan adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is free from the law

and can marry another man without being an adulteress. 4

So,my brothers, you have also died to the law through Christ’sbody, so that you may belong to someone else, to Him who wasraised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.5For when we lived according to the flesh, the sinful passionsaroused by the law were at work in our bodies and bore fruitfor death. 6But now we have died to the law that once boundus and have been released from it. So now we serve God in thenew way of the Spirit, not in the old way of the letter of the

law.7What should we say? Is the law sinful? Never! On the con-

trary, without the law, I would not have become aware of sin. Iwould not have known what coveting was if the law had notsaid, “You must not covet.”94 8But sin, seizing an opportunitythrough the commandment, aroused all kinds of covetous de-sires within me. For apart from the law, sin is dead. 9I wasonce alive apart from the law. But when the commandment

came, sin came to life and I died. 10

So the commandment thatwas meant to bring life actually brought death! 11For sin,

94 Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21

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seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceivedme and used the commandment to kill me. 12 Therefore the law

is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.13So has what is good become death to me? Never! But in

order that sin would be exposed as sin, it produced death inme through what was good, so that through the command-ment sin would become utterly sinful. 14For we know that thelaw is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold as a slave to sin. 15Ido not know why I do the things I do. For I do not do thethings I want to do, but the things I hate to do! 16And if I do

not do the things I want to do, my conscience agrees that thelaw is good. 17So it is no longer I who do these things, but sinliving in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, inmy flesh. For I want to do what is right, but I find that I lackthe power to resist doing what is wrong! 19For I do not do thegood I want to do, but instead I do the evil I do not want to do!20Now if I do the things I do not want to do, then it is no longerI who do it, but sin living in me.

21

So I find this principle at work in me: when I want to dogood, evil is always tempting me! 22Even though my inner mandelights in God’s law, 23I see this principle at work in my body,it is at war with my mind and makes me a captive to the law of sin that is already in my body. 24What a wretched man I am!Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be toGod through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So in my mind I am a slave to God’s law, but in my flesh I

am a slave to the law of sin.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who arein Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but

according to the Spirit. 2For in Christ Jesus the law of theSpirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death. 3Forwhat was impossible for the law to accomplish—because of theweakness of the flesh—God accomplished by sending His own

Son in the likeness of sinful man in order to condemn the sinsof the flesh, 4so that the righteous requirements of the lawwould be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh but

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according to the Spirit. 5 Those who walk according to the fleshset their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who walk

according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.6 The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is lifeand peace. 7 The mind of the flesh is hostile towards God anddoes not submit to God’s law, because it is impossible for it todo so. 8 Those who walk according to the flesh cannot pleaseGod.

9But you do not walk according to the flesh, but accordingto the Spirit, because the Spirit of God lives in you. Whoever

does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Christ.10But if Christ is in you, although your body is dead because of sin, your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11So if theSpirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, Hewho raised Christ from the dead will also give life to yourmortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you.

12Brothers, we are not indebted to the flesh, so we are notobligated to live according to it. 13If you live according to the

flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death theworks of the body, you will live. 14For all who are led by theSpirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spiritthat makes you a slave to fear again, but you have received theSpirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba! Father!”95 16 TheSpirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’schildren. 17And if we are His children, then we are heirs—heirsof God and co-heirs with Christ—provided we share in Hissufferings, so that we may also share in His glory.

18I have come to this conclusion: that our present sufferingsare not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed tous. 19Even creation longs and eagerly waits for the sons of Godto be revealed. 20Creation has been made subject to decay, butnot voluntarily. For God subjected it to decay in the hope21that creation itself would be set free from its slavery tocorruption, and would share in the glorious freedom of God’schildren. 22We know that to this very day all creation groans asif suffering the pains of child birth. 23Not only does creationgroan, but we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit also groan

95 Abba is the Aramaic word for father.



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within ourselves as we eagerly wait for our adoption—the re-demption of our bodies. 24We have this hope because we havebeen saved. Hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes forwhat they already have? 25But if we hope for what we do notsee, we will continue to eagerly wait for it.

26Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, sincewe do not know what we should pray; the Spirit Himself inter-cedes for us with groans that are too deep for words. 27And theFather who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit,because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to God’swill.

28And we know that God makes all things work together forthe good of those who love Him, for those who have been calledaccording to His purpose. 29God also predestined those Heforeknew to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, so that Hewould be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those Hepredestined, He also called. And those He called, He also justi-fied. And those He justified, He also glorified.

31So what can we say about all of this? If God is for us, whocan be against us? 32Now if God did not even spare His ownSon but delivered Him up for us all, will He not freely give usall things since He has given us His Son? 33Who will bring acharge against God’s elect? Certainly not God, because He isthe One who justifies us! 34Who will condemn us? Certainlynot Christ, who died—who better yet, was raised to life—who isnow at the right hand of God interceding for us! 35Who willseparate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, ordistress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, orsword? 36As it is written:

“For Your sake we are put to death all day long.We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.”

(Psalm 44:22)

37But in all these things we are more than conquerorsthrough Him who loved us. 38For I am persuaded that neitherdeath, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, northings present, nor things to come, 39nor height, nor depth,



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nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate usfrom the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I speak the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my consciencealso bears witness in the Holy Spirit, 2that in my heart I

have great sadness and unending grief. 3For I wish that Imyself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of mybrothers, my fellow countrymen, who are my very flesh andblood, 4my fellow Israelites! For all of this belongs to theIsraelites: the adoption as God’s chosen people, the glory, thecovenants, the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the

promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, from whom Christdescended, who is God over all, and who is blessed forever!Amen.

6It is not as though God’s word has failed. For not everyonewho has descended from Israel belongs to Israel. 7And not every-one who is a descendant of Abraham are Abraham’s children.On the contrary,

“It is through Isaac that your descendantswill be named.”(Genesis 21:12)

8Meaning: it is not Abraham’s natural children who are God’schildren, but it is the children to which the promise refers towho are Abraham’s descendants. 9For this is what the promisesaid:

“At the appointed time I will return,and Sarah will have a son.”(Genesis 18:10, 14)

10So our father Isaac was born, and later married Rebekahwho gave birth to twins. 11But even before the twins were bornor had done anything good or bad—in order that the purposeof God’s election would stand, an election not based on worksbut on God’s calling— 12she was told:

“The older will serve the younger.”(Genesis 25:23)

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13As it is written:

“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”(Malachi 1:2-3)

14So what should we say then? Is God unjust for doing this?Never! 15For God said to Moses:

“I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy,and I will have compassion on whomI will have compassion.”

(Exodus 33:19)16So then, it does not depend on a person’s desire or effort buton God’s mercy. 17Like the Scripture says about Pharaoh,

“For this very purpose I raised you up,that I might demonstrateMy power through you,and that My name might

be declared throughout the whole earth.”(Exodus 9:16)

18 Therefore, God has mercy on whom He desires, and He hard-ens whom He desires.

19You may say to me, “Then why does God still find faultwith us? After all, who can resist His will?” 20But who are you,O man, to question God? Should you, who were formed, say to

Him who formed you, “Why did you make me this way?”21Does not the potter have the right to use the same lump of clay to make one vessel for honourable use, and another fordishonourable use?

22What if God—desiring to demonstrate His wrath and makeHis power known—patiently endured the vessels of wrath,which were prepared for destruction? 23What if He did this inorder to make the riches of His glory known to the vessels of

mercy, which He had previously prepared for glory— 24

even tous, whom God has also called, not only from the Jews but alsofrom the Gentiles? 25As God says in Hosea:



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“I will call those who were not My people,‘My people.’

And I will call her ‘loved,’ who was not loved.”(Hosea 2:23)

26“And in the place where it was said to them,‘You are not My people,’ there they will be calledsons of the living God!”(Hosea 1:10)

27Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel,

“Though the number of the sons of Israelare like the sand of the sea,

yet only a remnant will be saved.28For the Lord will fulfill His word in justice,

and He will quickly execute it on the earth.”(Isaiah 10:22-23)

29 Just as Isaiah foretold,

“Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us a remnant,we would have become like Sodom,we would have resembled Gomorrah.”(Isaiah 1:9)

30What then should we say? That the Gentiles who did not

pursue righteousness have obtained righteousness, a right-eousness that is by faith. 31But Israel, who pursued the law of righteousness, did not attain righteousness through the law.32Why? Because they tried to attain it by works instead of byfaith, and so they stumbled over the Stumbling Stone. 33As itis written:

“Look, I lay in Zion a Stumbling Stoneand a Rock of offense,

and whoever believes in Him willnot be ashamed.”(Isaiah 8:14, 28:16)



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Brothers, my heart’s desire and petition to God forIsrael is that they may be saved. 2For I can testify that

they are zealous for God, but their zeal is without knowledge.3 They did not know God’s righteousness, so they tried to es-tablish their own instead of submitting to God’s righteousness.4But Christ is the end of the law, so that all who believe in Himwill be made righteous.

5For Moses wrote about the righteousness of the law:

“The man who practices these things

will live by them.”(Leviticus 18:5)

6But the righteousness that comes by faith says, “Do not sayin your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (That is, to bringChrist down), 7or ‘Who will go down into the depths?’ (That is,to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8But what does it say?

“The word is near you,

it is in your mouth and in your heart.”(Deuteronomy 30:11-14)

That is, the word of faith that we preach: 9that if you confesswith your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heartthat God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For itis with your heart that you believe and are made righteous,and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11Asthe Scripture says:

“Whoever believes in Him will not be ashamed.”(Isaiah 28:16)

12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. They allbelong to the same Lord who is rich toward all who call onHim, 13for,

“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord

will be saved.”(Joel 2:32)

14But how can they call on Him if they have not believed in

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Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have not heardabout Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone

preaches about Him? 15

And how can they preach if they arenot sent? As it is written,

“How beautiful are the feet of thosewho announce peace and good news!”(Isaiah 52:7)

16But they did not all obey the good news. For Isaiah says:

“Lord, who has believed our report?”(Isaiah 53:1)

17So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the word of God.18But I ask, have they not heard? Yes they have!

“Their voice has gone throughout all the earth,their words to the ends of the world.”(Psalm 19:4)

19But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says:

“I will provoke you to jealousy by thosewho are not a nation.

I will provoke you to anger by a nationwithout understanding.”(Deuteronomy 32:21)

20

And Isaiah boldly says:

“I was found by those who did not seek Me.I have shown Myself to those

who did not ask for Me.”(Isaiah 65:1)

21But to Israel He says:

“All day long I have stretched out My handsto a disobedient and rebellious people.”(Isaiah 65:2)



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Now I ask, has God rejected His people? Never! I amalso an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the

tribe of Benjamin. 2

God has not rejected His people whom Heforeknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says aboutElijah? How he pleaded to God against Israel,

3“Lord, they have killed Your prophetsand have torn down Your altars.

I am the only one left,and they are seeking my life!”(I Kings 19:10, 14)

4But what did God say in response to him?

“I have reserved seven thousand men forMyself who have not bowedtheir knee to Baal!”(I Kings 19:18)

5In the same way, at the present time, God has also chosen a

remnant by grace. 6

And if it is by grace, it is no longer byworks. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace. 7So what isthe conclusion? Israel did not obtain what it was seeking; theelect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8as it is written:

“God has given them a spirit of slumber,and to this very day He has given themeyes that do not seeand ears that do not hear!”

(Deuteronomy 29:4; Isaiah 29:10)9And David says:

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,a stumbling blockand a punishment for them.

10Let their eyes be darkenedso that they cannot see,

and bend their backs continually.”(Psalm 69:22-23)

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11Now I ask, have they stumbled and fallen permanently?Never! On the contrary, because of their transgression sal-

vation has come to the Gentiles, in order to provoke the Jewsto jealousy. 12But if their transgression means riches for theworld, and if their loss means riches for the Gentiles, howmuch more will their fullness bring!

13I am talking to you Gentiles, because I am an apostle tothe Gentiles. I work hard in this glorious ministry of mine, 14inthe hope that I may somehow provoke my people to jealousyand save some of them. 15For if their rejection means reconcil-

iation for the rest of the world, will not their acceptance meanlife from the dead?

16If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the wholebatch of dough. If the root is holy, so are the branches. 17Nowif some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olivebranch, were grafted in among the other branches and are nowpartakers with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18then donot boast that you are better than the branches that were

broken off. If you boast about such things, remember this: youdo not support the root, but the root supports you.

19Now if you say, “The branches were broken off so that Icould be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off be-cause of their unbelief, but you stand only because of yourfaith. So do not be arrogant, but be afraid! 21For if God did notspare the natural branches, He will not spare you either!22Notice how God is both kind and stern: stern to those who

fell, but kind to those who continue in His kindness! But if youdo not continue in His kindness, you will also be cut off! 23Andif they do not continue in their unbelief they will be grafted in,for God is able to graft them in again. 24For if you were cutfrom an olive tree that is naturally wild, and contrary to naturewere grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier willthe natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree!

25I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers,

because I do not want you to become conceited: Israel hasbecome partially hardened until the full number of the Gen-tiles has come in. 26In this way all Israel will be saved, as it iswritten:



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“The Deliverer will come from Zion,and He will turn ungodliness

away from Jacob.27And this is My covenant with themwhen I take away their sins.”(Isaiah 59:20-21, 27:9)

28As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake. But as far as election is concerned, they are lovedfor the sake of the patriarchs. 29For God’s gifts and calling areirrevocable. 30For you were once disobedient to God, but now

you have obtained mercy because of their disobedience. 31

Like-wise, they have now become disobedient so that they may alsoobtain mercy, just as you have obtained mercy. 32For God hashanded all men over to disobedience, so that He may show mer-cy to all.

33Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments! How untraceableare His ways!

34“For who has known the mind of the Lord?Or who has become His adviser?”

(Isaiah 40:13)

35“Who has given to God,that God should repay him?”(Job 41:11)

36

For all creation originates from Him, was created by Him, andis for His glory. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

Therefore I urge you, brothers, by God’s mercy, to pre-sent your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and

acceptable to God, for this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Donot be conformed to this world, but be transformed by therenewing of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what

God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will is.

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20“If your enemy is hungry, feed him.If he is thirsty, give him a drink.

For in doing this, you will heap burningcoals on his head.”(Proverbs 25:21-22)

21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. Forthere is no authority except for what God has allowed,

and those who are in authority have been instituted by God.2 Therefore, whoever rebels against the governing authority reb-els against what God has instituted, and those who rebel willbring judgment on themselves. 3 Those who do what is goodhave no fear of the authorities, but those who do what is evilhave something to fear. Do you want to live without fear of theauthorities? Then do what is good, and they will commend youfor it. 4For they are God’s servants to do you good. But if youdo evil then be afraid, for they bear the sword for a reason.

They are God’s servants, who have been instituted to carry out justice and to punish all evildoers. 5 Therefore you must submitto them, not only because they can punish you, but also forthe sake of your conscience. 6 That is why you pay your taxes,because they are God’s servants who have been instituted toattend to these duties. 7Give to everyone what you owe them: if taxes, then taxes. If customs, then customs. If respect, thenrespect. If honour, then honour.

8

Do not be in debt to anyone. Your only debt should be tolove one another, because those who love one another havefulfilled the law. 9For the commandments,

“You must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, you must not be a false witness, you must not covet,”

(Exodus 20:13-17; Deuteronomy 5:17-21)

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along with any other commandments there may be, are sum-med up in this one commandment:

“You must love your neighbour as yourself.”(Leviticus 19:18)

10Love does no wrong to its neighbour. Therefore love is thefulfillment of the law.

11Follow this commandment, since you know that time isshort. It is the hour to wake up from your sleep, because our

salvation is now more near than when we first believed. 12

Thenight is almost gone, and the day approaches. Therefore wemust cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. 13We must live decently, as in the daytime. For wild par-ties, drunkenness, promiscuity, sensuality, strife, and jealousycannot be a part of our lives! 14 Therefore we must clothe our-selves with the Lord Jesus Christ, instead of thinking of thelusts of the flesh.

Welcome the man who is weak in faith, but not for thepurpose of arguing with him about disputable matters.

2One man believes that he can eat anything, while anotherman with weak faith eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eatseverything must not despise the man who eats only vegetables,and the man who eats only vegetables must not judge the manwho eats everything, for God has accepted them both. 4Whoare you to judge another man’s servant? To his own master he

stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to makehim stand.

5One man may think that one day is more holy thananother, while another man may think that every day is alike.Each man should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Theman who observes one day, does so to the Lord. The man whoobserves no day, does so to the Lord. The man who eats meat,does so to the Lord, and gives thanks to God. The man who

abstains from meat, does so to the Lord, and gives thanks toGod. 7For no one lives for himself, and no one dies for himself.8If we live, we live for the Lord. If we die, we die for the Lord. Sowhether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9For this reason

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Christ died and rose to life again, so that He would be Lord of both the living and the dead. 10Why do you judge your

brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For we will allstand before the judgment seat of Christ.96 11For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord,every knee will bow to Me,and every tongue will confess to God.”(Isaiah 45:23)

12So then, each one of us will have to give an account of

himself to God. 13

So let us no longer judge one another!Instead, let us decide not to put a stumbling block or snare inour brother’s way.

14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that no foodin itself is unclean. But if a man thinks that something is un-clean, then it is unclean to him. 15If what you eat causes yourbrother grief, then you are no longer walking in love. Do notdestroy your brother by what you eat, because Christ died for

him! 16

Otherwise, people will criticize you for doing somethingthat you think is good. 17For the kingdom of God does not con-sist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and

joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Those who serve Christ in this way arepleasing to God and approved by men.

19So let us pursue what brings peace and edification to oneanother. 20Do not destroy God’s work for the sake of food. Allfood is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that

might cause his brother to stumble. 21

It is not good to eat meator to drink wine, or to do anything else that might cause yourbrother to stumble. 22Keep whatever you believe concerningthese matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the manwho does not feel condemned by what he approves. 23But theman who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he is notacting in faith. And everything that is not done in faith is sin.

96

Immediately after the rapture of the church we will all standbefore the judgment seat of Christ. Our works will be exam-ined, and we will receive crowns and rewards based on theworks we have done for the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:10).



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We who are strong in faith should bear the weaknessesof those who are weak in faith, rather than pleasing

ourselves. 2

Each one of us should please our neighbour for hisgood, so that we can build him up. 3For even Christ did notplease Himself, as it is written,

“The insults of those who insult Youhave fallen on Me.”(Psalm 69:9)

4For all that was previously written was written for our instruc-

tion, so that we might be encouraged by the Scriptures andhold patiently to our hope. 5Now may the God of patience andencouragement give you the same attitude toward one anotheras Christ Jesus had, 6so that with one mind and one voice youmay glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7 Therefore accept one another, just as Christ accepted you,for the glory of God. 8I tell you that Christ became a servant tothe Jews on behalf of God’s truth, in order to confirm the prom-

ises given to the patriarchs, 9

so that the Gentiles might glorifyGod for His mercy, as it is written:

“Therefore I will acknowledge You among theGentiles, and will sing praises to Your name.”(2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49)

10Again it says:

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.”(Deuteronomy 32:43)

11And again:

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles!Praise Him, all you people!”

(Psalm 117:1)

12

Again Isaiah says:

“One will rise up from the root of Jesse,

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who will rule over the Gentiles,and the Gentiles will put their hope in Him.”

(Isaiah 11:10)13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as

you put your trust in Him, so that you may abound in hope bythe power of the Holy Spirit.

14I myself am persuaded, brothers, that you yourselves arefull of goodness, and that you are filled with all knowledge andare able to warn one another. 15Brothers, I have written you

very boldly on some points in order to refresh your memory.For God has given me the grace 16to be a minister of Christ Jesus with the priestly ministry of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that I might present the Gentiles as an acceptableoffering to God that has been sanctified by the Holy Spirit.17 Therefore I will boast in Christ Jesus concerning the thingsof God. 18But I will not dare to speak about anything except forwhat Christ has accomplished through me, in bringing theGentiles to obedience by my words and deeds, 19by the power

of signs and wonders through the power of God’s Spirit. For Ihave fully preached the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all theway around to the province of Illyricum. 20I strive to preach thegospel where the name of Christ is not known, so that I do notbuild on another man’s foundation. 21 Just as it is written:

“Those who have never beentold about Him will see, and those who havenever heard will understand.”

(Isaiah 52:15)22 That is why I have often been detained from coming to

you. 23But now I have no more opportunities in these regions.And since I have longed to visit you for many years, 24I will tryto visit you when I travel to Spain. I hope to see you when Ipass through, and after I have enjoyed your company for awhile you can send me on my way. 25But right now I am goingto Jerusalem to minister to the saints. 26For the churches in

the provinces of Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make acontribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.27 They were pleased to do this, and in fact they are indebted tothem. If the Gentiles have shared in the spiritual blessings of



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the Jews, then they should also share their material blessingswith the Jews. 28 Therefore, when I have accomplished this and

have delivered this fruit of theirs, I will pass through and visit you on my way to Spain. 29I know that when I come to you, Iwill come to you with the full blessing of Christ.

30Now I urge you, brothers, by the Lord Jesus Christ and bythe love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggles by earnestlypraying to God on my behalf. 31Pray that I will be rescued fromthe unbelievers in Judea and that my ministry in Jerusalemwill be well-received by the saints, 32so that I will be able to

come to you with joy, if it is God’s will, and be refreshed with you. 33Now may the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

I introduce our sister Phoebe to you, she is a servant of the church in the town of Cenchrea. 2Welcome her in

the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her inwhatever she may need help with, for she has helped me andmany others.

3Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow-workers in Christ Jesus, 4who have risked their necks for my life. I am not theonly one who is grateful to them, for all the Gentile churchesare grateful to them as well.

5Also greet the church that meets in their home. Greet mybeloved friend Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christin the province of Achaia. 6Greet Mary, who has worked hard

for you. 7

Greet Andronicus and Junias, my fellow countrymenand my fellow-prisoners. They are notable among the apostles,and they were in Christ before I was.

8Greet Ampliatus, my beloved friend in the Lord. 9GreetUrbanus, our fellow-worker in Christ, and my beloved friendStachys. 10Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greetthose in the household of Aristobulus. 11Greet Herodion, myfellow countryman. Greet those in the house hold of Narcissus

who are in the Lord.12Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, for these two women have

worked hard for the Lord. Greet my beloved friend Persis, be-

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the gospel—but not with words pertaining to the wisdom of thisworld, otherwise the cross of Christ would be emptied of its

power.18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who

are perishing, but to those of us who are being saved it is thepower of God. 19For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and the understanding of the prudentI will reject.”

(Isaiah 29:14)20Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is

the philosopher of this age? Has God not turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness? 21Since God in His wisdom or-dained that the world through its wisdom would never knowGod, it pleased God through the foolish message of the gospelto save those who believe. 22 That is why the Jews ask for signsand the Greeks search for wisdom. 23But we preach Christ

crucified, which is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolish-ness to the Gentiles. 24But to those who are called, both Jewsand Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.25For the foolishness of God is wiser than man, and the weak-ness of God is stronger than man.

26Look, brothers, not many of you were wise, not many of you were powerful, and not many of you were of noble birthwhen you were called. 27But God has chosen the foolish things

of this world to put the wise to shame, and God has chosenthe weak things of this world to put the strong to shame. 28Godhas chosen what is lowly in the world, what is despised, andwhat is nothing, to destroy what the world thinks is important,29so that no man may boast before God. 30It is because of Godthat you are in Christ Jesus—God has made Him our wisdom,our righteousness, our sanctification, and our redemption.31 Therefore, as it is written,

“Let the man who boasts, boast in the Lord.”(Jeremiah 9:24)



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Brothers, when I came and proclaimed the testimony of Godto you, I did not come with eloquent words or wisdom. 2For I

decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ andHim crucified. 3I came to you in weakness and fear, and I trem-bled greatly. 4My message and my preaching were not withpersuasive words of human wisdom, but with a demonstrationof the Spirit’s power, 5so that your faith would not rest onhuman wisdom but on God’s power.

6We speak wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdomof this world, or of the rulers of this world, who are passing

away. 7

On the contrary, we speak about the mystery of God’swisdom that was previously hidden, which God ordained for ourglory before the world began. 8None of the rulers of this worldunderstood this wisdom, if they had, they would not have cru-cified the Lord of glory.

9But as it is written,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

neither has it entered into the heartof man what God has prepared forthose who love Him.”(Isaiah 64:4)

10But God has revealed these things to us by His Spirit. Forthe Spirit searches all things, even the deep mysteries of God.11What man knows the thoughts of another man except forthat man’s own spirit within him? Likewise, no one knows God’s

thoughts except for the Spirit of God. 12

We have not receivedthe spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so thatwe can know all that God has freely given to us.

13When we speak about these things we do not use wordstaught by human wisdom but words taught by the Spirit, inter-preting spiritual things with spiritual words. 14 The naturalman does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for theyare foolishness to him and he cannot understand them, be-

cause they can only be understood from a spiritual standpoint.15 The spiritual man is able to understand all these things, buthe himself cannot be understood by the natural man.

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16“For who has known the mind of the Lordthat he may instruct Him?”

(Isaiah 40:13)

But we have the mind of Christ!

Brothers, I could not speak to you as I would to spiritualmen, but as to carnal men—as to infants in Christ. 2I fed

you with milk, not meat, because you were not ready for it.And you are still not ready for it, 3 you are still carnal! When

there is jealousy, strife, and divisions among you, are you notcarnal and walk as carnal men do? 4When one says, “I followPaul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not carnal?

5After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are onlyservants through whom you believed. The Lord gave each of usa task to do. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God made itgrow. 7So neither the planter nor the waterer is important, butonly God who makes it grow. 8 The planter and the waterer

work together, and each will be rewarded for their own labour.9For we are God’s fellow-workers. And you are God’s field,

God’s building. 10By the grace God has given to me, I have laida foundation like a skilled architect and builder, and nowsomeone else is building on it. But each man should be carefulhow he builds on this foundation. 11For no man can lay anyother foundation except for the one that has already been laid,which is Jesus Christ. 12Now if any man builds on this

foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, orstraw, 13each man’s work will become apparent. For the day of judgment will bring it to light. It will be revealed by fire, andthe fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14If a man’swork survives, that is, what he has built on the foundation, hewill receive a reward. 15If a man’s work is burned up, he willsuffer loss. He will be saved, but only like one escapingthrough the fire.

16

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and thatthe Spirit of God lives in you? 17If any man destroys the templeof God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy,and you are that temple!

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18Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinksthat he is wise in this world, let him become a fool so that he

may become wise. 19

For the wisdom of this world is foolishnessin God’s sight. For it is written:

“He catches the wise in their craftiness.”(Job 5:13)

20And again,

“The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,

that they are worthless.”(Psalm 94:11)

21So do not boast about men. For all things belong to you,22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life ordeath or the present or the future—all things belong to you,23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

You should regard us as servants of Christ and stewardsof the mysteries of God. 2Every steward must prove himself to be trustworthy. 3But it means nothing to me if I am judgedby you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judgemyself. 4My conscience is clear, but that does not mean that Iam innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not

judge anything before the appointed time, but wait until theLord comes. He will shed light on what is hidden in darknessand will reveal the inner motives of our hearts. Then each

man’s praise will come from God.6I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate these things to

you, brothers, so that you may learn from us not to thinkbeyond what the Scriptures say. Then you will not take pridein one man against another. 7What makes you so great? Whatdo you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it,then why do you boast as though you did not receive it?

8

Have you already become full and content? Have you al-ready become rich? Have you become kings without us? I wishthat you had become kings, so that we could reign with you! 9Ithink that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the

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procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We havebecome a spectacle to the whole earth, both to angels and to

men. 10

We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise inChrist! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honoured,but we are dishonoured! 11 To this very hour we are hungry, weare thirsty, we are poorly clothed, we are mistreated, and weare homeless. 12We labour and work with our own hands.When we are ridiculed, we bless. When we are persecuted, wepatiently endure. 13When we are slandered, we continue mak-ing our appeal. To this present day we have become the filthand scum of the whole earth.

14I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you because you are my beloved children. 15Even if you hadten thousand overseers in Christ, you would not have manyfathers. But in Christ Jesus, I became your father through thegospel. 16 Therefore, I urge you to imitate me. 17 That is why Ihave sent Timothy to you, my beloved and faithful son in theLord. He will remind you of my walk in Christ, which is what Iteach everywhere in every church.

18Some of you have become arrogant, as though I were notcoming to you. 19If it is the Lord’s will, I will come to visit yousoon. Then I will not only find out what these arrogant peopleare saying, but what power they really have. 20For the kingdomof God is not a matter of words, but of power. 21So what do youprefer, that I come to you with a rod or with love and a meekspirit?

There are rumours of incest among you, this kind of sex-ual immorality is not even tolerated among the pagans. A

man has his father’s wife! 2You should have mourned and re-moved the man who committed this sin from your midst, butinstead you have become arrogant! 3Although I am absent inbody, I am with you in spirit, and I have already judged theman who committed this sin as if I were present with you.4When you assemble together in the name of our Lord JesusChrist, I will be with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord

Jesus Christ will be present. 5At that time you must deliver

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this man over to satan for the destruction of the flesh, so thathis spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord Jesus.

6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little yeast will affect the whole lump of dough? 7Get rid of the old yeast so that you may be a new lump of dough, a lump without yeast, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover Lamb hasbeen sacrificed. 8So let us no longer observe the feast with theold yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the yeast-freebread of sincerity and truth.

9In the letter that I previously wrote to you, I told you not toassociate with sexually immoral people. 10I do not mean thepeople of this world who are sexually immoral, or who aregreedy, or who are extortionists, or who are idolaters, other-wise you would have to leave this world! 11But now I amwriting to tell you not to associate with anyone who professesto be a brother but is sexually immoral, or is greedy, or is anidolater, or is verbally abusive, or is a drunk, or is an extor-tionist. Do not even eat with such a man!

12It is not my business to judge outsiders, now is it? But isit not your business to judge those inside the church? 13Godwill judge those outside. Remove that wicked man from among

you.

How dare any of you, with a complaint against a fellowbrother, go to court before the pagan judges instead of be-

fore the saints! 2Do you not know that the saints will judge theworld? And if you will judge the world, then are you not capa-ble of judging smaller matters such as these? 3Do you notknow that we will judge angels? How much more the thingsconcerning this life! 4 Therefore, if you have any disputes con-cerning the things of this life, why do you stand before judgeswho have no standing in the church? 5I am saying this toshame you. Is there not a wise man among you who is able to

judge between his brothers? 6But instead, one brother goes tocourt against another brother, and this in front of unbe-lievers!

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7 To have such lawsuits against your brothers is a completefailure for you. Why not just be wronged? Why not just be

cheated? 8

But instead, you do wrong and defraud, and you dothis to your own brothers! 9Do you not know that the unright-eous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.No fornicators, or idolaters, or adulterers, or homosexuals, orsodomites, 10or thieves, or those who are greedy, or those whoare drunkards, or those who are verbally abusive, or those whoare extortionists, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 That is whatsome of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified,and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by

the Spirit of our God.12“For me, everything is permitted”—but not everything is

good and profitable. “For me, everything is permitted”—but Iwill not be enslaved by anything. 13“Food is meant for thestomach, and the stomach for food”—but one day God will doaway with them both. The body is not meant for sexual immor-ality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 Just as Godraised the Lord from the dead, He will also raise us up by His

power.15Do you not know that your bodies are joined together with

Christ? Should I then take what is joined together with Christand join it together with a prostitute? Never! 16Do you notknow that the man who joins himself together with a prostitutebecomes one body with her? For it is written,

“The two will become one flesh.”

(Genesis 2:24)17But the man who joins himself together with the Lord is onespirit with Him.

18So flee from all sexual immorality. For all other sins a mancommits are outside his body, but the man who commits sexualimmorality sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that

your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives in you,

whom you have received from God? You are not your own,20 you were bought for a price. Therefore glorify God with yourbody and spirit, for they are both His.



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Now to answer the questions that you wrote to me about:it is good for a man not to marry a woman. 2But in order to

avoid fornication, each man should have his own wife andeach woman her own husband. 3 The husband must give hiswife the love and kindness he owes her, and the wife must giveher husband the love and kindness she owes him. 4 The wifedoes not have authority over her own body, but her husbanddoes. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over hisown body, but the wife does. 5Do not deprive one another of these things unless you both consent to do so for a set time, sothat you may fully devote yourselves to prayer and fasting. But

after this time has ended, come back together again so thatsatan will not be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6I say this only as a suggestion, not as a command. 7Iwish all men were unmarried like me. But each man has hisown gift from God—one this, and another that.

8Now I say this to the unmarried and to the widows: it isgood for them to remain unmarried like me. 9But if they do nothave self-control they should get married, for it is better to

marry than to burn with passion.10 To the married I give this command—not I, but the Lord: a

wife must not separate from her husband. 11But if she doesseparate, she must remain unmarried or be reconciled to herhusband. And the husband must not divorce his wife.

12I, not the Lord, say this to the rest of you: if any brotherhas an unbelieving wife who desires to live with him, he must

not divorce her. 13

And if a woman has an unbelieving husbandwho desires to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14Forthe unbelieving husband has been sanctified on account of hiswife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified on accountof her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean,but now they are holy. 15But if the unbeliever departs, let themdepart. The brother or sister is not bound in such circum-stances, for God has called us to live in peace. 16Wife, how do

you know whether you will save your husband? Husband, how

do you know whether you will save your wife?17Every man should live the life the Lord assigned to him,

and should remain in the same situation he was in when God

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called him. This is my rule for all the churches. 18Were youcircumcised when you were called? Then do not become uncir-

cumcised. Were you uncircumcised when you were called? Then do not become circumcised. 19Both circumcision anduncircumcision mean nothing, what matters is keeping God’scommandments. 20Each man should remain in the same situa-tion he was in when God called him. 21Were you a slave whenGod called you? Do not let it bother you, but if you can gain

your freedom then do so. 22For the man who was a slave whenthe Lord called him, is the Lord’s freedman. And the man whowas a free man when the Lord called him, is Christ’s slave.23

You were bought for a price, so do not become slaves of men.24Brothers, each man should remain in the same situation hewas in when God called him.

25Now concerning virgins: I do not have a command fromthe Lord for you, but I will give you my opinion as one who bythe Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26In view of the present dis-tress, I think it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27Are youbound to a wife? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried?

Do not seek a wife. 28

But if you do get married, you have notsinned. And if a virgin gets married, she has not sinned. Butthose who get married in this present distress will experiencemany troubles, of which I want to spare you from.

29Brothers, I tell you that time is growing short. From nowon those who have wives should live as if they had none. 30Andthose who weep should live as if they did not weep, those whorejoice should live as if they did not rejoice, those who buy

should live as if they did not possess anything, 31

and thosewho use the things of this world should not become consumedby them, because this world in its present form is passingaway.

32I want you to be free from concern. An unmarried man isconcerned with the things of the Lord, with how he can pleaseHim. 33But a married man is concerned with the things of thisworld, with how he can please his wife. 34 There is also the

same difference between a wife and a virgin. An unmarriedwoman is concerned with the things of the Lord, with how shecan be holy in both body and spirit. But a married woman isconcerned with the things of this world, with how she can



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please her husband. 35I say this for your own benefit, not torestrain you, but to promote what is honourable, so that you

may serve the Lord without distraction.36If a father thinks he is acting unfairly towards his virgin

daughter by not allowing her to marry, and if she is old enoughand he feels that she ought to marry, then let the father do ashe pleases. He is not sinning. Let her marry. 37But if a fatherhas firmly decided in his heart that his daughter should re-main a virgin, because she has no desire to marry and is notengaged, and he has decided in his heart to keep her a virgin,

he does well. 38

So the father who gives his virgin daughter inmarriage does well, but the father who does not give her inmarriage does even better.

39A wife is bound by law to her husband for as long as helives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry whomevershe wishes, but only if he serves the Lord. 40In my opinion shewould be happier if she remained single, and I think that Ihave been inspired by the Holy Spirit to say this.

Now to answer your questions concerning meat that hasbeen sacrificed to idols. We know that we all have knowl-

edge, and we know that knowledge puffs up, but that love buildsup. 2If any man claims to have knowledge, but does not act inlove, he really does not know very much at all. 3But if anyoneloves God, he is known by God.

4

Now about eating food that has been sacrificed to idols: weknow that there is no idol in the world that is real and thatthere is only one God. 5Even though there are many so-calledgods and lords, whether in heaven or on earth, 6for us there isonly one God—the Father, through whom all things exist, andthrough whom we exist. And there is also only one Lord—

Jesus Christ, through whom God created all things, andthrough whom God gave us life.

7

But not everyone has this knowledge. Some still think thatidols are real. So when they eat food that has been sacrificedto idols, their weak conscience is defiled. 8 The food we eat does

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not make us any better or worse before God, whether we eatfood that has been sacrificed to idols or not.

9But make sure that your freedom does not become astumbling block to those who are weak. 10You may have thisknowledge, but what if someone with a weak conscience sees

you eating at the temple of an idol? Would they not be en-couraged to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 Then thebrother with the weak conscience, whom Christ died for, wouldbe destroyed because of your knowledge. 12And when you sinagainst your brothers by wounding their weak conscience, you

sin against Christ. 13

So if meat causes my brother to stumble,I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brotherto stumble.

Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen JesusChrist our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2Even if

I am not an apostle to others, I am definitely an apostle to you.For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3My defence to those who scrutinize me is this: 4do we nothave the right to eat and drink? 5Do we not have the right totake along a believing wife as the Lord’s brothers, Cephas, andthe other apostles do? 6Or do only Barnabas and I have towork for a living? 7What soldier ever pays his own wages? Whoplants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Or who tends aflock and does not drink its milk?

8

Am I speaking from a human perspective? Or does not theLaw also speak of these things? 9For it is written in the Law of Moses,

“Do not muzzle an ox while it is treadingout the grain.”(Deuteronomy 25:4)

Is God only concerned about oxen? 10Or did He say this mainly

for us? It was written for us, because the man who ploughsand the man who threshes should do so in the hope of sharingthe crops. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is itwrong for us to reap a material harvest from you? 12If others

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have the right to share in your material blessings, how muchmore do we?

But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we patientlyendured all things so that we would not hinder the gospel of Christ. 13Do you not know that those who minister in the tem-ple eat the food of the temple, and those who serve at the altarreceive a share of what is offered on the altar? 14In the sameway, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gos-pel should make their living from the gospel.

15

But I have not made use of any of these rights. And I amnot writing these things in the hope of receiving anything from you. I would rather die than let anyone deprive me of my rea-son for boasting! 16I cannot boast about preaching the gospel,for I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach thegospel! 17If I had chosen to preach on my own initiative, Iwould have a reward for that. But that was not the case, Godcalled me to preach, and so I have been entrusted with a stew-ardship. 18So what then is my reward? My reward is this: to

preach the gospel of Christ free of charge, without using any of my rights in preaching it.

19Although I am a free man, I have made myself a slave toall men, so that I may win many. 20 To the Jews I became like a

Jew, so that I might win the Jews. To those under the law I be-came like one under the law, so that I might win those underthe law, though I myself am not under the law. 21 To those with-out the law I became like one without the law, so that I might

win those without the law, though I am not without God’s lawbecause I am under Christ’s law. 22 To the weak I became weak,so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to allmen, so that by all means possible I might save some. 23I dothis for the sake of the gospel, so that I may partake in itsblessings along with you.

24Do you not know that all those who run in a race run, butonly one receives the prize? So run to win the prize! 25Everyone

who strives to win, exercises self-discipline in all areas. Theydo it to receive a corruptible crown, but we do it to receive anincorruptible crown. 26 Therefore I do not run aimlessly or boxlike someone shadowboxing. 27Instead, I beat my body and make





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there is one loaf, we who are numerous are one body, for weare all partakers of the one loaf.

18Look, do not the Israelites who eat the sacrifices partici-pate in the altar? 19So what am I saying? That an idol is any-thing? Or that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything? 20No!What I am trying to say is this: the offerings that pagans sac-rifice are sacrificed to demons, not to God, and I do not want

you to participate with demons. 21You cannot drink from boththe cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons. And you can-not be a partaker of both the table of the Lord and the table of

demons. 22

Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Arewe stronger than He is?

23“Everything is permitted”—but not everything is good andprofitable. “Everything is permitted”—but not everything is edi-fying. 24Let no one seek his own good, but the good of others.

25Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, but for the sakeof your conscience do not ask any questions. 26For,

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”(Psalm 24:1)

27If an unbeliever invites you for a meal and you want to go,then eat whatever is put before you, but for the sake of yourconscience do not ask any questions. 28However, if someonetells you, “This meat has been sacrificed to an idol,” then donot eat it for the sake of the man who pointed it out and for

the sake of conscience— 29

his conscience, that is, not yours. Do you want your freedom to be judged by another man’s con-science? 30You may eat with thankfulness, but do you want tobe criticized for what you give thanks for?

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not become a stumblingblock to anyone, whether to Jews or to Greeks or to God’schurch. 33But do as I do, for I try to please everyone in every-

thing I do, not seeking my own good but the good of others, sothat they may be saved.



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Imitate me, as I imitate Christ. 2I praise you for re-membering me in everything, brothers, and for keeping

the precepts that I delivered to you. 3

I want you to know thatChrist is the head of every man, and that man is the head of the woman, and that God is the head of Christ. 4Any man whoprays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours hishead, which is Christ. 5Any woman who prays or prophesieswithout wearing a covering on her head dishonours her head,which is man, and she is no different than a woman who hasshaved her head. 6If a woman does not cover her head inpublic worship, then she should cut off her hair. And if it is

shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or to shave her head,then she should wear a covering. 7A man should not cover hishead in public worship, because he is the image and glory of God. But the woman is the glory of man. 8For man was notcreated from woman, but woman was created from man. 9Andman was not created for woman, but woman was created forman. 10For this reason, and because the angels are watching,a woman should wear a covering on her head to show that sheis under man’s authority. 11But in the Lord women are not

independent of men, and men are not independent of women.12Although woman was created from man, man is born fromwoman. And all things come from God.

13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray toGod with her head uncovered? 14Does not even nature itself teach you that it is disgraceful for a man to have long hair?15But a woman’s long hair is her glory, because her hair hasbeen given to her as a covering. 16And if anyone wants to argue

about this, we have no other custom—neither do any of God’schurches.

17In giving you these next commands, I cannot commend you. For when you assemble together, it is not for better butfor worse! 18First of all, I hear that when you assemble togetheras a church there are divisions among you, and I partly believeit. 19For there must be divisions among you, so that it maybecome evident who is approved by God among you. 20When

you assemble together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21

Foreach person eats his own supper without waiting for anyoneelse; one goes hungry, while another gets drunk. 22Do you nothave houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise God’s

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church and humiliate the poor who have nothing? Whatshould I say to you? Should I commend you? I will not com-

mend you!23For I passed on to you what I received from the Lord: that

the Lord Jesus Christ, on the night He was betrayed, tookbread, 24and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said,“Take this and eat it. For this is My body, which is broken for

you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” 25In the same way, aftersupper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the newcovenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in

remembrance of Me.” 26

For as often as you eat this bread anddrink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

27Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord inan unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the bodyand blood of the Lord! 28 That is why a man should examinehimself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29Forany man who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eatsand drinks judgment on himself, because he did not recognize

the Lord’s body. 30

That is why many of you are feeble and sickand some have died. 31But if we would examine ourselves, wewould not be judged. 32When the Lord judges us, He disci-plines us so that we will not be condemned with the world.

33 Therefore, when you assemble together to eat the Lord’sSupper, my brothers, wait for one another. 34If any man ishungry he should eat at home, so that when you assembletogether it may not lead to judgment. And when I come I will

give you further instructions concerning the matters that stillremain.

Now, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant aboutspiritual gifts. 2You know that when you were pagans,

you were enticed and led astray to worship idols that cannotspeak. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one speaking bythe Spirit of God can say, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can

say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

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4 There are various gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There arevarious ministries, but the same Lord. 6 There are various ef-

fects, but the same God who works all these gifts in everyone.7Each person has been given the manifestation of the Spirit forthe good of the body of Christ. 8 Through the Spirit one personis given the gift of the word of wisdom, and according to thesame Spirit another is given the gift of the word of knowledge.9By the same Spirit another is given the gift of faith, and by thesame Spirit another is given the gift of healing. 10 To anotherthe gift of the working of miracles, to another the gift of proph-ecy, and to another the gift of discerning spirits, to another the

gift of speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to anotherthe gift of interpreting tongues.97 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who distributes these gifts to eachone individually according to His will.

12Although the body has many parts, it is one body; all theparts of the body, which are many, make up one body—it isthe same with the body of Christ. 13For by one Spirit we wereall baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether

slave or free, we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14

For thebody is not just made up of one part, but of many parts.

15If the foot says, “I am not a hand, so I am not a part of thebody,” does that mean it is not a part of the body? 16And if theear says, “I am not an eye, so I am not a part of the body,”does that mean it is not a part of the body? 17If the whole bodywere an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear,how could it smell? 18But God, according to His will, placed

each one of the body parts in the body. 19

What would becomeof the body if it had only one body part?

20 There are many body parts, but only one body. 21 The eyecannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Neither can thehead say to the feet, “I do not need you.” 22On the contrary, the

97 The nine gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Revela-

tion gifts: gift of wisdom, gift of knowledge, gift of discerningspirits. Power gifts: gift of faith, gift of healing, gift of miracles.Prophetic gifts: gift of prophecy, gift of tongues, gift of inter-preting tongues.



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weakest body parts are even more necessary. 23For we givegreater honour to the body parts we think are less honourable.

And we clothe our unpresentable parts with greater modesty,24while our presentable parts have no need to be clothed. ButGod has put the body together, and has given greater honourto the parts that lacked honour. 25He did this so there wouldbe no division in the body, so that the different parts wouldequally care for one another. 26If one part suffers, every partsuffers with it. If one part is honoured, every part rejoices withit.

27

You are the body of Christ, you are all individual parts of it. 28In the church God has appointed first apostles, secondprophets, third teachers; after that, those with the gift of mir-acles, and those with the gift of healing; after that, helpers,administrators, and those with the gift of speaking in differentkinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are allteachers? Do all operate in the gift of miracles? 30Do all havethe gift of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?31But eagerly desire the greater gifts—yet I will show you some-

thing far better than this.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but donot have love, I have become like a noisy gong or a

clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and know allmysteries and have all knowledge, and if I have the faith tomove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I giveall my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body

to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing.4Love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy, love does

not boast, love is not arrogant. 5Love is not rude, love is notself-seeking, love is not easily irritated, and love keeps norecord of wrong. 6Love does not rejoice in injustice, but alwaysrejoices in the truth. 7Love always protects, love always be-lieves, love always hopes, love always endures.

8

Love never fails! But the gift of prophecy will cease, the giftof tongues will come to an end, and the gift of knowledge willpass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

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10But when perfection comes, then what is imperfect will beabolished.

11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like achild, and I reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, Igave up my childish ways. 12Now we see things obscurelythrough a mirror, then we will see things face to face. I knowin part now, but when the time comes, I will know everythingfully as God has fully known me.

13Now these three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But

the greatest of these is love.

Pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especiallythe gift of prophecy. 2For whoever speaks in tongues

does not speak to men but to God; no one can understandwhat they are saying, because they are speaking mysteries inthe Spirit. 3But whoever prophesies speaks to men for theiredification, encouragement, and comfort. 4Whoever speaks in

tongues edifies himself, but whoever prophesies edifies thechurch. 5I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but I wish evenmore that you all prophesied. The man who prophesies isgreater than the man who speaks in tongues, unless he caninterpret so that the church may be edified.

6Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, howwould that benefit you? But if I speak words of revelation,knowledge, prophecy, or teaching, will that not benefit you? 7If

lifeless things like the flute or harp do not produce distinctnotes, how will anyone know what tune is being played? 8Andif a trumpet does not give a distinct sound, who will preparefor battle? 9It is the same with you, if you speak in a tonguethat cannot be understood, who will understand what you aresaying? You will just be speaking into the air. 10 There aremany different languages in the world, and none of them iswithout meaning. 11If I do not understand the meaning of thelanguage, then I am a foreigner to the one who is speaking and

he is a foreigner to me. 12

It is the same with you. Since you areso zealous to have spiritual gifts, seek to excel in the gifts thatedify the church.

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13 Therefore, whoever speaks in tongues should pray thatthey may be able to interpret them. 14For if I pray in tongues

my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15

So then whatshould I do? When I pray, I will pray with both my spirit andmy mind. And when I sing, I will sing with both my spirit andmy mind. 16For if you praise God with your spirit, how cansomeone else say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, when they donot understand what you are saying? 17You may be givingthanks well enough, but the other person is not edified.

18I thank my God that I speak in tongues more than all of

you. 19

But in the church I would rather speak five understand-able words to instruct others than ten thousand words in atongue.

20Brothers, do not think like children. Be like infants con-cerning evil, but in your thinking be like adults. 21In the law itis written:

“With foreign tongues and strange lips

I will speak to this people,but even then they will not listen to Me,says the Lord.”(Isaiah 28:11-12)

22So tongues are a sign for unbelievers, not for believers.And prophecy is for believers, not for unbelievers. 23If thewhole church assembles together and everyone is speaking intongues, and an unbeliever or person without understanding

of these things walks in, will they not say that you are crazy?24But if everyone is prophesying, and an unbeliever or personwithout understanding of these things walks in, will they notbe convicted and condemned by all that is said. 25 Then thesecrets of their heart will become apparent, and they will fallon their face and worship God, declaring that God is trulyamong you.

26What is our conclusion, brothers? When you assemble to-

gether, if you have a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue,or an interpretation, all these things must be done for theedification of the church. 27If someone speaks in a tongue, twoor three at the most should speak one at a time, and someone



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must interpret. 28But if there is no interpreter, then the personwith the tongue should be silent and speak between himself

and God. 29

Let two or three prophets speak, while the otherscarefully judge what is said. 30And if something is revealed to aperson who is seated, they must let the first person finish.31You can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learnand be encouraged. 32 The spirit of a prophet is controlled bythe prophet. 33For God is not a God of disorder but a God of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints, 34women must be silent

in church. They are not allowed to speak out, but must be sub-missive, as the law says. 35If they want to learn something theycan ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for awoman to speak out in church.

36Did the word of God originate with you? Or has it come to you alone? 37If any man claims to be a prophet or to be spirit-ual, he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you isthe Lord’s commands. 38But if anyone wants to be ignorant, let

him be ignorant.39 Therefore, brothers, eagerly desire to prophesy, and do not

forbid speaking in tongues. 40But all things must be done de-cently and in order.

Now let me remind you, brothers, of the gospel that Ipreached to you, which you have accepted and firmly

stand on. 2

By this gospel you are saved, that is, if you hold fastto the word that I preached to you; unless, of course, you havebelieved in vain.

3 The first thing I delivered to you, was what I had received:that Christ died for our sins as the Scriptures predicted— 4thatHe was buried, that He rose again on the third day as the Scrip-tures predicted, 5and that He appeared to Cephas and then tothe twelve. 6After that He appeared to over five hundred broth-

ers at once, most of these brothers are still alive, but somehave died. 7Next He appeared to James, then to the rest of theapostles. 8And last of all, though I was like a miscarried fetus,He also appeared to me.

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9For I am the most unworthy of all the apostles, and I donot even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted

God’s church. 10

But by the grace of God I am what I am, andHis grace towards me was not in vain. On the contrary, I workedmuch harder than the rest of the apostles—yet not I, but thegrace of God that was with me. 11So whether it was I or they,we all preach the same gospel in which you believed.

12Now if we preached that Christ has been raised from thedead, then why do some of you say that there is no resur-rection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead,

then not even Christ has been raised. 14

And if Christ has notbeen raised, our preaching is worthless and your faith is alsoworthless. 15Furthermore, we would be found guilty of givingfalse testimony about God, because we have testified that Godraised Christ from the dead. But God did not raise Christ fromthe dead, if the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are notraised, then not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christhas not been raised, your faith is worthless and your sin stillremains. 18 Then those who have died in Christ have perished!19

If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we should be pitiedmore than all other men.

20But Christ has in fact risen from the dead, and He hasbecome the firstfruits of those who have died. 21Since deathcame through one man, the resurrection of the dead also camethrough one Man. 22For through Adam all die, but throughChrist all will be made alive. 23But concerning the resurrectionof the dead, each man has his proper order: Christ the first-

fruits, then those who belong to Christ at His coming. 24

Thenthe end will come after Christ has abolished all rule, all au-thority and power, and hands over the kingdom to God theFather. 25For Christ must reign until He has put all His ene-mies under His feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death.

27For,

“God has put all things under His feet.”

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But when it says, “all things have been put under Him,” thisclearly excludes God, who has put all things under Christ.28

When all things have been put under His authority, then theSon will also put Himself under the authority of the One whohas put all things under Him—that God may be all in all.

29How would it profit those who are baptized on behalf of the dead, if the dead are not raised? And if the dead are notraised, why would anyone be baptized on behalf of the dead?30And why do we put ourselves in constant danger? 31I facedeath daily—this is true, just as my boasting about you in

Christ Jesus our Lord is true. 32

If, according to human mo-tives, I fought wild beasts in Ephesus, what did I gain? If thedead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die!”(Isaiah 22:13)

33Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good char-acter.” 34Come back to your senses as you should, and stop

sinning! For some of you are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

35But someone might ask, “How are the dead raised? Whatkind of body will they have?” 36You fool! What you sow doesnot come to life unless it dies first. 37What you sow is not thebody you will have, but only a seed—maybe of wheat or someother grain. 38But God gives it the body He desires it to have,for He gives each seed its own body.

39Not all flesh is the same: men have one kind of flesh,animals another, fish another, and birds another.

40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. Theheavenly bodies have one kind of glory, and the earthly bodiesanother. 41 The sun has one kind of glory, the moon another,and the stars another. Even the stars differ from one anotherin glory.

42 That is how it will be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, but the body that is raisedis imperishable. 43It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory.



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It is sown in frailty, it is raised in power. 44It is sown a naturalbody, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body,

there is also a spiritual body. 45

As it is written,

“The first man Adam became a living being.”(Genesis 2:7)

But the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

46 The spiritual does not come first—the natural comes first,then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the dust of the

earth, but the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48

Thosewho belong to the earth are like the man of dust, but thosewho belong to heaven are like the Man of heaven. 49 Just as wenow bear the image of the man from the dust, we will also bearthe image of the Man from heaven.

50I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit thekingdom of God, neither can the perishable inherit the imper-ishable. 51Look, I will tell you a mystery: not all of us will die,

but all of us will be changed! 52

In a moment, in the twinklingof an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet, the dead will beraised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53It is necessaryfor the perishable to be clothed with the imperishable, and themortal to be clothed with immortality. 54When the perishablehas been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal hasbeen clothed with immortality, then what has been written willbe fulfilled:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”(Isaiah 25:8)

55“O death, where is your victory?O death, where is your sting?”

(Hosea 13:14)

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our

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58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and unmov-able, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that

your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

Now concerning the collection for the saints in Jeru-salem: do what I directed the Galatian churches to do.

2On the first day of the week each one of you should set asideand save a portion of your earnings, so that no collections willneed to be made when I come. 3When I arrive, I will send let-ters along with the men you have approved and they will carry

your gift to Jerusalem. 4

If it is best for me to go along, they cango with me.

5First I must travel through the province of Macedonia, butafter I have travelled through Macedonia I will come to visit

you. 6Perhaps I will stay with you for a while or even spend thewinter with you, and then you can send me on my way towherever I may go. 7I do not want to cross over to see you nowand only make a passing visit. But I hope to spend some time

with you afterwards, if the Lord permits.8But for now I will remain in the city of Ephesus until

Pentecost. 9For a great and powerful door of opportunity hasopened for me, and many oppose me.

10If Timothy comes, make sure he has nothing to fear whilehe is with you, for he is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am.11Do not let anyone despise him. But send him on his way in

peace so that he may return to me, because I am expectinghim along with the other brothers.

12Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged himto visit you with the other brothers. However, he does not wantto visit you right now, but he will come when he has theopportunity.

13Be vigilant, stand firm in the faith, be men of courage, and

be strong. 14

Whatever you do must be done in love.15You know that Stephanas and his household were the

first converts in the province of Achaia, and that they have

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devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints. Therefore Iurge you, brothers, 16to submit to people like them and to

anyone else who is a fellow-worker and labourer.17I rejoiced when Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus

arrived, because they supplied what was lacking from you.18 They have not only refreshed my spirit, but yours as well.

Therefore, acknowledge people like them.

19 The churches in the province of Asia greet you. Aquila andPriscilla greet you in the Lord, and so does the church that

meets in their house. 20

All the brothers here greet you. Greetone another with a holy kiss.

21Now I, Paul, greet you with my own hand writing. 22Who-ever does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be cursed!Maranatha! (Our Lord is coming!)

23May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you! 24Mylove is with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.



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2 Corinthians

From: Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,and from our brother Timothy.

To the church of God in the city of Corinth, and to all thesaints throughout the province of Achaia:

2

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort. 4He is the Onewho comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we can comfortthose who are going through any kind of affliction with thesame comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For justas the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so also the comfort of

God abounds in us through Christ. 6

If we are afflicted it is for your comfort and salvation, for this will encourage you to pa-tiently endure the same sufferings that we also suffer, and if we are comforted it is for your comfort and salvation. 7And ourhope for you is firm, because we know that just as you sharein our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

8We do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the af-flictions we suffered in the province of Asia. We were weighed

down so far beyond our own ability that we even despaired of life. 9Indeed, we felt like we had received a death sentence. Butthis happened so that we would not trust in ourselves, but inGod who raises the dead. 10And God delivered us from such agreat death, and will deliver us again! For we have put ourhope in Him that He will continue to deliver us. 11And because

you have been helping us through your prayers, many peoplewill give thanks to God when they see the answer to yourprayers for our deliverance.

12For we take pride in this: that our conscience testifies thatin this world and especially among you, we have conducted our-

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selves in holiness and godly sincerity—not in worldly wisdom,but in the grace of God. 13We write nothing that is not publicly

read and acknowledged as true. And I hope that you will al-ways acknowledge this, 14even if not all of you acknowledge us,so that you can boast of us as we will boast of you on the dayof the Lord Jesus.

15I was so confident of this, I intended to visit you first sothat you might benefit twice. 16I had planned to visit you onmy way to Macedonia and again on my way back, and then tohave you send me on my way to Judea. 17So when I planned

this, did I do it lightly? Or did I make these plans according tothe flesh by saying “Yes” when I really meant “No”? 18 Just asGod is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and then “No.”19For Christ Jesus, the Son of God, was preached among youby Silas, Timothy, and me. And our preaching was not “Yes”and then “No,” but in Christ it has always been “Yes!” 20For allGod’s promises are both “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ, and so wegive glory to God through Him. 21Now it is God who establishesus together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us, 22it

is God who has put His seal on us, and who has put His Spiritin our hearts as a pledge.

23I call God as my witness, that the reason I did not come toCorinth was in order to spare you. 24For we did not want to ex-ercise authority over your faith, but to work with you for your

joy, for by faith you stand.

I decided not to visit you again in sadness. 2

For if I grieve you, who will make me happy? Definitely not you, whom Ihave grieved.

3I wrote the previous letter to you so that when I was able tocome, I would not be saddened by those who should make mehappy. And I am confident that what makes me happy will alsomake you happy. 4For I wrote to you out of great affliction andanguish of heart and with many tears—not to grieve you, but

to let you know the abundance of my love for you.5 The man who has caused you grief has not grieved me as

much as he has grieved—not to put it too severely—all of you.

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6 The punishment the majority of you have given this man issufficient. 7Now you must forgive and comfort him, or else he

might be overcome with overwhelming sorrow. 8

Therefore Iurge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9One reason I wrote to you was to test you, to see if you are obedient in all things.10Whoever you forgive, I also forgive. And whoever I have for-given, I have forgiven in the presence of Christ for your sake,11so that satan may not outsmart us—for we are not ignorantof his schemes!

12When I came to the city of Troas with the gospel of Christ,

the Lord opened a door for me. 13

But my spirit had no relief,because I was unable to find my brother Titus. So I bidfarewell to those at Troas and departed for the province of Macedonia.

14But thanks be to God, who always leads us triumphantlythrough Christ and spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ through us in every place. 15 To God we are the fra-grance of Christ among those who are being saved and among

those who are perishing. 16

To the one we are an aroma thatleads to death, and to the other we are an aroma that leads tolife. And who is competent of such a task? 17We do not peddleGod’s word as many others do, but before God we speak sin-cerely in Christ as men sent from God.

Are we starting to commend ourselves again? Or do weneed, like others, letters of recommendation to you or from

you? 2

You are our letter, which has been written in our hearts,and is known and read by all men. 3It is clear that you areChrist’s letter, the result of our ministry, a letter not written byink but by the Spirit of the living God, a letter not written onstone tablets but on human hearts.

4Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God.5We do not claim that we are competent in ourselves, becauseour competence comes from God. 6It is God who has made us

competent ministers of the new covenant, a covenant that isnot of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but theSpirit gives life.

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7Now if the ministry that brought death was engraved inletters of stone and came with such glory that the children of

Israel could not gaze at the face of Moses because of the gloryof his face, even though the glory was fading, 8then how muchmore glorious will the ministry of the Spirit be? 9If the ministrythat brought condemnation was glorious, then how much moreglorious will the ministry be that brings righteousness! 10Forthe old covenant was glorious, but its glory cannot comparewith the surpassing glory of the new covenant. 11And if thatwhich was fading away came with glory, then how much moreglorious is that which is everlasting!

12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak boldly.13We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so thatthe children of Israel could not gaze upon the glory that wasfading away. 14 Their hearts were hardened, for to this very daythe same veil remains when the old covenant is read, becauseonly in Christ is the veil removed. 15 To this very day when theLaw of Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenanyone turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17For the Lord is

the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.18So all of us with unveiled faces, as if seeing the Lord’s gloryin a mirror, are being changed into His likeness from one de-gree of glory to another by the Spirit of the Lord.

Since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we donot faint. 2But instead we have renounced secret and

shameful ways, and we do not walk deceitfully or distort God’s

word. But we make our appeal to every man’s conscience byclearly presenting the truth in the sight of God. 3And if ourgospel is hidden, it is hidden from those who are perishing.4For the god of this world has blinded the minds of those whodo not believe, to prevent them from seeing the light of theglorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. 5We do notpreach about ourselves, but we preach that Jesus Christ isLord, and that we are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For thesame God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has

shone in our hearts the light of the knowledge of God’s glory,which is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.

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very thing and has given us His Spirit as a pledge, guaran-teeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we always take courage, even though we knowthat while we are at home in this body we are absent from theLord. 7We walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Therefore we take cour-age, even though we would rather be absent from this bodyand at home with the Lord. 9So whether at home or absent, westrive to please Him. 10For all of us must appear before the

judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive ourdue reward for what we have done in this body, whether good

or bad.98

11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we per-suade others, but God knows our motives, and I hope youknow our motives as well. 12We are not trying to commendourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity toboast about us, so that you can answer those who boast aboutoutward appearances rather than what is in the heart. 13If weare insane, it is for God’s sake. If we are sane, it is for your

sake. 14

For Christ’s love compels us, and brings us to thisconclusion: that if One died for all, then all were dead in sin.15He died for all, so that those who live should no longer livefor themselves but for the One who died and rose again.

16So from now on we do not look at anyone according to theflesh. We used to look at Christ according to the flesh, but weno longer do. 17If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Oldthings have passed away, all things have become new! 18All of

this comes from God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us this ministry of reconciliation:19that through Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself by not counting men’s sins against them. And He has entrustedus with this message of reconciliation.

98 Immediately after the rapture of the church we will all standbefore the judgment seat of Christ. We will be judged on howfaithfully we served the Lord in our actions and deeds, or lack

of, and He will reward us accordingly. The motives of ourhearts will be laid bare! There is no punishment for believersat the judgment seat of Christ, because our sins were atonedfor at the cross (Romans 14:10-12).



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20 Therefore, we are Christ’s ambassadors, and through usGod is calling you. So we beg you on Christ’s behalf, to be rec-

onciled to God. 21

For God made Him who knew no sin to be sinfor us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

As God’s fellow-workers, we beg you not to receive God’sgrace in vain. 2For God says,

“In the time of favour I heard you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you.”(Isaiah 49:8)

Look, now is the time of favour! Now is the day of salvation!

3We put no stumbling block in anyone’s way, so that nofault may be found with our ministry. 4Instead, we dem-onstrate that we are God’s ministers in every way: in greatendurance; in afflictions, lack, and distress; 5in beatings, im-

prisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleeplessness, hungerand fasting; 6in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; inthe Holy Spirit, and in sincere love; 7in the word of truth, andin the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in both theright hand and the left; 8through honour and dishonour, badreport and good report; considered impostors, yet true; 9un-known, yet well known; condemned to death, yet alive; pun-ished, yet not killed; 10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yetmaking many rich; having nothing, yet possessing everything.

11We have spoken openly to you Corinthians with ourhearts opened wide! 12We have not held back our love for you,but you have held back your love for us. 13I ask you, as if youwere my own children, to pay us back in the same way: openwide your hearts to us!

14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what part-nership does righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what

fellowship does light have with darkness? 15

What harmony is

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there between Christ and Belial?99 Or what portion does abeliever have with an unbeliever? 16What agreement does the

temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of theliving God—just as God said:

“I will dwell in their midst,and walk among them.

I will be their God,and they will be My people.”(Exodus 29:45; Leviticus 26:12)(Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27)

17“Therefore depart from among them,and be separate, says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,and I will receive you.”(Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41)

18“I will be a Father to you,and you will be My sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”(2 Samuel 7:14)

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse our-selves from all that defiles the body and spirit, perfecting

holiness out of reverence for God.

2Make room in your hearts for us. We have not wronged

anyone, we have not corrupted anyone, and we have not takenadvantage of anyone. 3I am not saying this to condemn you. AsI told you before, you are in our hearts, and we would bewilling to live or die with you. 4I have great confidence in you,and I have boasted much about you. I have been filled withencouragement, and in all of our afflictions my joy overflows.

5When we arrived here in the province of Macedonia, ourbodies had no rest. We were afflicted on every side. We had

conflicts on the outside and fears on the inside. 6

But God, whocomforts the depressed, comforted us by the arrival of Titus.

99 Belial means “worthlessness,” and refers to satan.

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7We were not only comforted by his arrival, but also by thecomfort he had received from you. For he told us about your

longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, which made merejoice even more!

8If I grieved you by my previous letter, I do not regret it. Idid regret it at first, but now I see that my letter only grieved

you for a while. 9So now I rejoice, not because you weregrieved, but because your grief led to repentance. This grief was according to God’s will, and so you were not injured by usin any way. 10Godly grief produces an unregrettable repent-

ance that leads to salvation, but worldly grief produces death.11See what diligence this Godly grief has produced in you:what earnestness to clear yourselves, what indignation, whatfear, what longing, what zeal, what retribution. In every way

you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.12 The reason I had previously written to you was not becauseof the one who did the wrong, or because of the one who waswronged, but so that you could see how devoted to us you arein the sight of God.

13All this has given us comfort. In addition to our comfort,we greatly rejoiced when we saw how happy Titus was, for hisspirit was refreshed by all of you. 14For I had boasted to Titusabout you, and I was not put to shame. Just as everything wetold you was true, our boasting of you to Titus was also true.15And his deep affection for you abounds all the more when heremembers how obedient you all were and how you receivedhim with fear and trembling. 16 Therefore I rejoice, because in

everything I have confidence in you.

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace that Godhas given to the churches in the province of Macedonia.

2In a great test of affliction, their abundant joy and deep pover-ty has overflowed in rich generosity. 3For I testify that by theirown free will they gave as much as they were able, even morethan they could afford. 4 They begged us earnestly to let them

participate in this gracious gift to the saints in Jerusalem. 5

Butthey did not do as we expected, for they gave themselves to theLord first and then to us, as was God’s will. 6So we have urged

Titus to finish this gracious gift, which he had previously

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started among you. 7 Just as you abound in everything—infaith, in word, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your

love for us—make sure you also abound in this grace of giving.8 This is not a command, but a test of how genuine your love

is when compared to the earnestness of others. 9For you knowthe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: though He was rich, for

your sake He became poor, so that through His poverty youmight become rich.

10In my opinion, I think that it is best for you to finish what

you had previously started. Last year you were not only thefirst to give, but the first with the desire to do so. 11Now finishwhat you have started, so that your readiness to give may bematched by your willingness to finish it—by giving what youcan. 12For if a person is ready and willing to give, then the giftis acceptable according to what they have, not according towhat they do not have.

13Not that others should receive relief at your expense, but

that there may be equality. 14

At this present time your abun-dance can supply their need, and when you are in need theirabundance can supply you, so that there may be equality. 15Asit is written:

“Those who gathered muchhad nothing left over,and those who gathered little had enough.”(Exodus 16:18)

16But thank God for putting the same dedication into theheart of Titus as we have for you. 17For Titus willingly acceptedour request and has eagerly left to visit you. 18We also sent abrother along with him who is praised by all the churches forhis work in the gospel. 19 This brother has been appointed bythe churches to accompany us in the ministry of this graciousgift, which is for the glory of the Lord Himself, and is proof of

your readiness to help. 20We want to avoid any criticism con-

cerning the ministry of this liberal gift. 21

So we consider be-forehand what is honourable, not only in the sight of the Lordbut also in the sight of man.



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22We also sent with them our brother. He has proven to bediligent in many ways, on many occasions, and now he is even

more zealous because of his great confidence in you. 23

Titus ismy partner and fellow-worker among you, and our brothersare messengers of the churches and an honour to Christ.24 Therefore show these men your love, and prove to all thechurches that our boasting about you is true.

I do not need to write anything further to you about thisministry to the saints. 2For I know how eager you are, and

I have been boasting to the Macedonians that you in Achaiabegan making preparations for this gift last year, and your zealhas stirred up most of them. 3I have sent these brothers to

you, so that our boasting about you in this matter may not bein vain, and so that you will be prepared just like I said youwould be. 4Otherwise, if any of the Macedonians come with meand find that you are not prepared, we would be ashamed of our confidence in you, not to mention how you would feel. 5SoI thought it was necessary to urge the brothers to go ahead of

us in order to prepare this blessing that was previously prom-ised, so that it will be ready as a blessing and not as some-thing that is forced.

6Remember this: those who sow sparingly will reap sparing-ly, and those who sow generously will reap generously. 7Eachof you should decide in your own heart what amount to give.Do not be grieved or pressured, for God loves a cheerful giver.8For God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in

every matter and in every way you will always have everything you need, so that you may abound in every good work. 9As it iswritten,

“He has scattered abroad,he has given to the poor;his righteousness endures forever.”(Psalm 112:9)

10

For God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread foreating, will supply and multiply your seed and increase theharvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in everyway so that you can always be generous, and through us your

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generosity will cause others to give thanks to God. 12 The min-istry of this gift will not only supply the needs of the saints,

but will also cause many to overflow with thanksgiving to God.13For when they see the proof of this ministry they will glorifyGod, because you have been obedient to your confession of thegospel of Christ, and because you have been generous in shar-ing with them and everyone else. 14And when they pray for

you, they will long for you because of the surpassing grace Godhas given to you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Now I, Paul, appeal to you with the meekness andgentleness of Christ—I who am humble in person, butbold when absent! 2I beg you that when I come I will not haveto be as bold and daring as I expect to be toward some peoplewho think that we walk according to the flesh. 3For though wewalk in this body of flesh, we do not wage war according to theflesh. 4 The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but aremighty through God for the tearing down of strongholds. 5Werefute every philosophy and every high thing that exalts itself

against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity everythought to the obedience of Christ. 6We will be ready to punishall disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

7Do you only look at the outward appearance of things? If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should con-sider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he does.8For even if I boast somewhat more of our authority—the au-thority that the Lord has given to us for building you up, not

for tearing you down—I would not be ashamed. 9

I do not want you to think that I am trying to frighten you with my letters.10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but inperson he is weak, and his words are worthless.” 11 Thesepeople should realize that what we say in our letters whenabsent, we will do when present.

12We would never dare to put ourselves into the same classas these people or even compare ourselves with those who com-

mend themselves. Without wisdom they measure themselvesby themselves and compare themselves with themselves. 13Wewill not boast beyond proper boundaries. We will only boastwithin the boundary lines that God has assigned to us, which

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extends as far as you. 14We are not going beyond our bound-aries, which would be the case if we had not reached you, but

we were the first to reach you with the gospel of Christ.15Neither do we go beyond our boundaries by boasting of thework others have done. On the contrary, we hope that as yourfaith grows, you will help us to greatly enlarge our boundarylines. 16 Then we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond

you. For we will not boast of things already done in the bound-ary lines of another man.

17“Let the man who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

(Jeremiah 9:24)18It is not the man who commends himself who is approved,but the man whom the Lord commends.

I wish that you would bear with a little of my foolish-ness, but you are already doing that. 2I am jealous for

you with a godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage

to one husband, so that I might present you as a pure virgin toChrist. 3I fear that somehow, just as the serpent deceived Eveby his craftiness, your minds might also be led astray from

your sincere devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes andpreaches a different Jesus than the Jesus we preached, or adifferent spirit than the Spirit you received, or a different gos-pel than the gospel you accepted, you are willing to bear withthem!

5

I do not think that I am inferior to those “super-apostles.”6I may not be a skilled speaker, but I do have knowledge, andwe have made all of this clear to you in every way.

7Or was I wrong to humble myself by preaching the gospelof God to you free of charge, so that you could be exalted? 8Irobbed other churches by taking wages from them in order tominister to you. 9When I was present with you and was inneed, I was not a burden to anyone of you, for the brothers

who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs. In everyway I kept myself from being a burden to you, and I will con-tinue to do so. 10 Just as the truth of Christ is in me, no one

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in the regions of Achaia will stop me from boasting about this.11Why? Is it because I do not love you? God knows that I do!

12And I will continue doing what I am doing, so that I mayput an end to the boasting of those who consider themselvesequal to us. 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful work-ers, who pretend to be apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, foreven satan pretends to be an angel of light. 15So it is no sur-prise if his servants also pretend to be servants of righteous-ness. But in the end they will be punished for their deeds.

16

Again I say, do not think of me as a fool. But if you do,then receive me as you would receive a fool, so that I may alsoboast a little! 17When I confidently boast like this I am notspeaking as the Lord would speak, but as a fool would speak.18Since many boast according to the flesh, I will also boast.19You gladly tolerate fools because you are so wise! 20You tol-erate anyone who enslaves you, who devours all that you have,who takes advantage of you, who exalts himself above you, andanyone who slaps you in the face. 21I am ashamed to say that

we are too weak to do that! What anyone else dares to boastabout, I speak as a fool, I will also dare to boast about.

22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I.Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23Are they servantsof Christ? I speak as a fool, but I have served Him far more. Ihave worked much harder, been in prison more often, sufferedmore floggings, and have faced death more frequently. 24Fivetimes I received thirty-nine lashes from the Jews. 25 Three

times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times Iwas shipwrecked, and I was adrift at sea for a night and a day.26I have travelled frequently, I have been in danger from rivers,in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen,in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger inthe wilderness, in danger at sea, and in danger from falsebrothers. 27I have laboured and toiled, gone without sleep,been hungry and thirsty, fasted often, and have been cold andnaked. 28Besides all this, I am overwhelmed daily with concern

for all the churches. 29

Who is weak, and I do not sympathizewith their weakness? Who is enticed into sin, and I do notburn with anger?



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30If I am compelled to boast, I will boast of the things thatshow my weakness. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying! 32

Thegovernor in Damascus, who was under King Aretas, guardedthe city of Damascus in order to arrest me. 33But I was loweredin a basket through a window in the city wall, and escapedfrom his hands.

I am compelled to boast, even though it is not profit-able. I will go on to visions and revelations from the

Lord. 2

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—wheth-er it was in the body or out of the body I do not know, onlyGod knows—was snatched up to the third heaven. 3I knowthat this man—whether it was in the body or out of the body Ido not know, only God knows— 4was snatched up to paradiseand heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permittedto speak. 5I will boast about this kind of man, but I will notboast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6If I wantedto boast I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the

truth. But I will refrain, so that no one will think more of methan what they see or hear me do.

7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of theseextraordinary revelations, I was given a thorn in my flesh, amessenger of satan, to strike me repeatedly, so that I wouldnot become conceited. 8 Three times I begged the Lord to take itaway from me. 9But He told me, “My grace is sufficient for you,for My power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will gladly

boast about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reston me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in all weaknesses, insults,hardships, persecutions, and calamities that I suffer for thesake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

11I boasted like a fool, but you have compelled me to do so. Ishould have been commended by you, for I am not inferior tothose “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. 12 The signsof an apostle were performed among you with all perseverance

by signs, wonders, and miracles. 13

How were you inferior tothe other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me of this wrong!

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14I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not bea burden to you. I do not desire your possessions, but you. For

children are not obligated to save up for their parents, butparents for their children. 15So I will gladly spend and expendmyself for your souls. Even though the more I love you, theless you love me.

16Be that as it may, I have never been a burden to you,though some say that I was crafty and took you by trickery!17Did I take advantage of you through any of the men I sent to

you? 18When I urged Titus to visit you and sent our brother

along with him, did Titus take advantage of you? Did we notwalk in the same spirit and in the same footsteps? 19Do youthink that we have been defending ourselves before you thiswhole time? No, we have been speaking before God in Christ,and everything we do, beloved, is for your edification. 20I amafraid that when I come I may not find you as I wish, and that

you may not find me as you wish. I am afraid that I may findquarrelling, jealousy, anger, strife, slander, gossip, arrogance,and disorder. 21I am afraid that when I come again my God

may humble me before you, and that I may mourn over manyof those who have continued in their sins and have not re-pented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality thatthey have practiced.

This is the third time that I am coming to visit you.

“At the mouth of two or three witnesses

every matter must be established.”(Deuteronomy 19:15)

2 Therefore, I write to those who have continued in their sinsand to all the rest. What I said before, when I was present with

you the second time, I will say again while absent: if I comeagain, I will not spare those people— 3since you are looking forproof that Christ is really speaking through me; Christ who isnot weak in dealing with you, but who is mighty among you.4

Although He was crucified in weakness, He now lives by God’spower. Although we are weak like He was, when dealing with you, we will be alive with Him by God’s power.

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5Examine yourselves to see if you are still in the faith. Test yourselves! Do you not know that Jesus Christ lives in you?—

unless, of course, you fail to pass the test! 6

I hope you realizethat we have not failed the test. 7We pray to God that you willnot do what is evil. Our desire is not to show you that we areapproved by God, but that you will do what is right, even if itseems like we have failed. 8For we cannot do anything againstthe truth, but only for the truth. 9We rejoice whenever we areweak and you are strong, and we pray for your restoration. 10Iwrite these things while I am absent from you, so that when Iam present I will not have to be harsh in my use of authority—

the authority that the Lord has given to me for building youup, not for tearing you down.

11Now, brothers, I say farewell. Be restored, be comforted,be of one mind, live in peace, and the God of love and peacewill be with you.

12Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13All the saints heregreet you.

14May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all! Amen.



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Galatians

From: Paul, an apostle, who was sent neither from mennor by man but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who

raised Him from the dead, 2and from all the brothers who arehere with me.

To the churches in the province of Galatia:

3

Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, 4who gave Himself for our sins so that He mightdeliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. 5 To Him be the glory forever and ever!Amen.

6I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting the One whocalled you by the grace of Christ and are following a differentgospel, 7when there is no other gospel! There must be some

who are troubling you, who are determined to pervert the gos-pel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven shouldpreach a different gospel than the one we have preached to

you, let them be cursed! 9As we have said before, and now sayagain: if anyone preaches a different gospel than the gospel

you have received, let him be cursed!

10Am I trying to gain favour with man or God? Or do I seekto please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not

be a slave of Christ.

11I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preachedto you did not come from man. 12I did not receive it from mannor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation from

Jesus Christ.

13For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism,how I greatly persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it.14

I had advanced in Judaism far beyond many of my Jewishpeers, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of myforefathers.

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15But when God, who separated me from my mother’s womband called me by His grace, was pleased 16to reveal His Son to

me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did notimmediately go and consult with flesh and blood. 17Niether didI go down to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before Iwas, but instead I went into Arabia and then returned again toDamascus.

18 Then three years later I went down to Jerusalem so that Icould personally meet Peter, and I stayed with him for fifteendays. 19I never saw any of the other apostles except the Lord’s

brother James. 20

God is my witness that what I am writing to you is no lie.

21After that I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.22 The churches of Christ in Judea did not even personallyknow me. 23 This is all they had heard: “The man who oncepersecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried todestroy!” 24And they gave glory to God because of me.

Then I went again to Jerusalem fourteen years later withBarnabas, and I took Titus along with me. 2I went there

because of a revelation. I declared to them the gospel that Ipreach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately with thoseof reputation, for fear that somehow I had been running or hadrun my race in vain. 3Not even my companion Titus, who wasa Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4Even though falsebrothers had snuck in secretly to spy on the freedom we have

in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage. 5

Not for amoment did we yield in submission to them, so that the truthof the gospel might remain with you.

6And those of reputation—whatever they were makes no dif-ference to me, for God does not judge by outward appear-ances—those of reputation did not add anything to my mes-sage. 7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrustedwith preaching the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter

had been entrusted with preaching the gospel to the circum-cised. 8For God, who worked through Peter as an apostle to thecircumcised, also worked through me as an apostle to theGentiles. 9And when James, Cephas, and John, who were

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reputed as pillars of the church, recognized the grace that wasgiven to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of

fellowship. They encouraged us to go to the Gentles, while theywent to the circumcised. 10 Their only request was that we re-member the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

11But when Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to hisface, because he was at fault. 12When Peter first came, he atewith the Gentiles. But afterwards, when some men came from

James, he withdrew and separated himself from the Gentiles,because he feared those of the circumcision party. 13And the

rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, even Bar-nabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

14When I saw that they were not walking in line with thetruth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “Why do

you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews, when you yourself live like a Gentile and not like a Jew? 15We are Jews by birth,and not Gentile sinners. 16We know that a man is not justifiedby obeying the law, but only through faith in Christ Jesus. We

have also believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justifiedby faith in Christ and not by obeying the law, for no flesh willbe justified by the works of the law. 17But if while seeking to be

justified in Christ we are found to be sinners, does that makeChrist a minister of sin? Never! 18If I rebuild what I have de-stroyed, I prove that I am a transgressor. 19For through the lawI died to the law, so that I might live for God. 20I have beencrucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me.Now, the life I live in this body, I live by faith in the Son of God

who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21

I do not cast asidethe grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law,then Christ died for nothing!”

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you not to obeythe truth? For Christ Jesus was clearly portrayed before

your eyes as crucified. 2I only desire to learn one thing from you: did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or

by believing what you heard by faith? 3

Are you so foolish?Having started with the Spirit, can you finish with the flesh?4Have you suffered so much for nothing—unless it was reallyall for nothing?

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5Does God supply you with the Spirit and work miraclesamong you because you do the works of the law, or because

you believe what you heard by faith? 6

Consider this:

“Abraham believed God, and it was creditedto him as righteous.”(Genesis 15:6)

7 Therefore, understand this, those who believe by faith aresons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would jus-tify the Gentiles by faith, when the gospel was announced be-

forehand to Abraham through a promise,

“Through you all nations will be blessed.”(Genesis 12:3)

9So those who believe by faith are blessed along with Abraham,who believed by faith.

10Everyone who does the works of the law are under a curse,

for it is written,

“Cursed is everyone who does not continuedoing all that is writtenin the Book of the Law!”(Deuteronomy 27:26)

11It is clear that no man is justified by the law before God, for,

“The just will live by faith.”(Habakkuk 2:4)

12 The law is not by faith, on the contrary,

“The man who practices these things willlive by them.”(Leviticus 18:5)

13

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming acurse for us. For it is written,



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“Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”(Deuteronomy 21:23)

14 Jesus Christ redeemed us in order that the blessing prom-ised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles through Him, sothat we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

15Brothers, here is a human illustration. No man can add orsubtract from a covenant that has been confirmed. 16Now thepromises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. It does notsay “And to your seeds,” which refers to many, but it refers to

one, “And to your seed,” who is Christ. 17

This is my point: thelaw, which came 430 years later, does not cancel the covenantthat was previously confirmed by God in Christ, otherwise thepromise would have been abolished. 18For if the inheritancecomes through the law, it no longer comes through a promise,but God gave it to Abraham through a promise.

19So why was the law given? It was added to define trans-gressions, and was instituted through angels by the hands of a

mediator (Moses), until the seed (Jesus) to whom the promisereferred had come. 20A mediator represents more than one, butGod is one.

21So is the law against the promises of God? Never! For if alaw had been given that was able to impart life, then right-eousness would have truly come through the law. 22But theScripture shows that all are imprisoned under sin, so that thepromise, which is by faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to

all who believe. 23

Before faith came we were kept in custodyunder the law, imprisoned until faith was to be revealed. 24Sothe law was our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that wemight be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, weare no longer under a guardian.

26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.27For all who were baptized into Christ have clothed them-selves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or

free, male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29

Andif you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants,and heirs according to the promise.



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What I am saying is this: as long as the heir is a child, heis no different than a slave, even though he owns every-

thing. 2

He is under guardians and stewards until the time setby his father. 3It was the same when we were children, we wereslaves to the elementary principles of this world. 4But whenthe appointed time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman,born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law,so that He could adopt us as sons.

6And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of HisSon into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, “Abba, Father!”100

7

Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son. And if you are ason, then you are an heir of God through Christ.

8In the past, when you did not know God, you were slavesto what by nature were not gods. 9But now that you knowGod—or more accurately, are known by God—how can youturn again to those weak and poor elementary principles? Do

you desire to be enslaved by them all over again? 10You areobserving special days, months, seasons, and years! 11I fear for

you, that perhaps my labour among you was in vain!12Brothers, I beg you: become like me, for I became like you.

You have not wronged me. 13You know how sick I was when Ifirst preached the gospel to you. 14Yet you did not despise orreject me on account of my sickness. But instead you receivedme as if I were an angel of God, or as if I were Christ JesusHimself. 15What has happened to your joy? I can testify that if it were possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes

and given them to me. 16

So have I now become your enemybecause I am telling you the truth?

17 These false teachers are zealous for you, but their motivesare not good. They desire to isolate you from us, so that youwill be zealous for them. 18It is always good to be zealous forwhat is good, and not only when I am present with you. 19Mylittle children, I am once again suffering labour pains for you,and this will continue until Christ is formed in you. 20I wish I

100 Abba is the Aramaic word for father.

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were present with you now, so that I could change my tone,because I am puzzled about you!

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you notlisten to the law? 22For it is written that Abraham had twosons, one by the slave woman and one by the free woman. 23 Theson of the slave woman was born according to the flesh, butthe son of the free woman was born according to a promise.24 These two women are symbolic of two different covenants.

The slave woman, Hagar, represents the covenant from MountSinai, because her children are born into slavery. 25Hagar

represents Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds topresent-day Jerusalem, which is in slavery along with herchildren. 26But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she isour mother. 27For it is written,

“Rejoice, barren womanwho has not given birth!

Break out with joyful shouts, you who have no labour pains!

For the children of the desolate woman will bemore numerous than the children of thewoman with a husband!”(Isaiah 54:1)

28Now we, brothers, like Isaac, are children of the promise.29But just as it was at that time, the son who was born accord-ing to the flesh persecuted the son who was born according tothe Spirit, so it is now. 30But what does the Scripture say?

“Cast out the slave woman and her son,for the son of the slave woman will notbe heir with the son of the free woman.”(Genesis 21:10)

31 Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave womanbut of the free woman.

For freedom Christ has set us free. So stand firm, and donot become ensnared again by a yoke of slavery. 2Look! I,

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no benefit to you! 3Again, I testify to every man: if you becomecircumcised, you will be obligated to keep the whole law.4

Those trying to be justified by the law have been cut off fromChrist and have fallen from grace! 5But through the Spirit, byfaith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. 6For in Christ

Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters, whatmatters is faith working through love.

7You were running your race well. Who has hindered youfrom obeying the truth? 8Such persuasion does not come fromthe One who calls you. 9A little yeast ferments the whole lump

of dough. 10

I am confident in the Lord that you will take noother view. But the one who is troubling you will bear his judg-ment, whoever he may be.

11Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am Istill being persecuted? If that were the case, the offence of thecross would be abolished. 12I wish those troubling you wouldcastrate themselves!

13

For you, brothers, were called to freedom. So do not use your freedom to gratify the flesh, but to serve one another inlove. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one command:

“You must love you neighbour as yourself.”(Leviticus 19:18)

15Beware, if you bite and devour one another, you might de-stroy one another!

16So I say this: walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratifythe desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh desires what is contraryto the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. Theyare opposed to one another, so that you do not do what youwant to do. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not underthe law.

19Now the works of the flesh are obvious: adultery, forni-

cation, impurity, sensuality, 20

idolatry, drugs and witchcraft,hatred, quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, strife, divi-sions, factions, 21envy, drunkenness, wild partying, andsimilar things. I warn you, as I have warned you before, that



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those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23meekness, and self-control.

There is no law against such things! 24 Those who belong toChrist Jesus have crucified the flesh along with its passionsand desires. 25If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by theSpirit. 26Let us not become self-conceited, provoking and envy-ing one another.

Brothers, if a man is overtaken by any sin, those who arespiritual should restore him gently in a spirit of meekness.

Watch yourself, or you may also be tempted. 2Bear one anoth-er’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.3If anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, hedeceives himself. 4Every man should examine his own actions.

Then he can be proud of himself alone, without comparinghimself to others. 5For each man will have his own load to

carry.6 Those who are taught the word should share all good

things with their teacher.

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever aman sows, he will reap. 8 Those who sow to please their flesh,will reap decay from the flesh, but those who sow to please theSpirit, will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9Let us not grow

weary of doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not faint. 10So then, whenever we have an opportunity,let us do good to all, especially to the family of faith.

11See how large my letters are when I write in my ownhandwriting. 12 Those who want to look good concerning theflesh, only compel you to be circumcised because they do notwant to be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13For those whoare circumcised do not even keep the law, yet they want you to

be circumcised so that they can boast about your flesh. 14

Butmay I never boast about anything except for the cross of ourLord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified

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to me, and I to the world! 15For in Christ Jesus neither cir-cumcision nor uncircumcision matters, what matters is a new

creation.16May peace and mercy rest upon all who walk by this rule,

and upon the true Israel of God!101

17From now on let no man cause me trouble, for I bear thescars of the Lord Jesus on my body.

18May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,

brothers! Amen.

101 May peace and mercy rest upon all who walk by this rule,and upon all those who believe in Jesus Christ!



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Ephesians

From: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. To the saints in the city of Ephesus who are faithful in

Christ Jesus:

2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,who through Christ has blessed us with every spiritual bless-ing in the heavenly realms. 4For God in His love chose us inChrist before the foundation of the world to be holy and blame-less in His sight. 5He predestined to adopt us as His sonsthrough Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of His will, 6tothe praise of His glorious grace that He has favourably given tous through the Beloved One.

7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgive-ness of sin, according to the riches of God’s grace, 8which Godhas abundantly given to us in all wisdom and insight. 9ForGod revealed the mystery of His will according to His goodpleasure that He purposed in Christ: 10that when the time isfully complete, He will gather all things in heaven and on earthtogether under the headship of Christ. 11 Through Christ wehave obtained an inheritance, which was predestined accord-ing to the purpose of God who works all things out according

to the counsel of His will, 12

so that we, who first hoped inChrist, might bring praise and glory to God.

13You also put your hope in Christ after hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in Him

you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is thepledge guaranteeing our inheritance until God redeems thoseHe has purchased for the praise of His glory.

15

Therefore, ever since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I have not stoppedgiving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17I

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pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the

knowledge of Him. 18

I also pray that the eyes of your heart maybe enlightened so that you may understand the hope of Hiscalling, the riches of His inheritance in the saints, 19and thesurpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe; allthis is according to the working of His mighty power, 20whichGod used when He raised Christ from the dead and seatedHim at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above allrule and authority, power and dominion, and every name thatcan be named—not only in this present age, but in the age to

come.22God has put everything under His feet and has made Him

head over everything for the church, 23which is Christ’s body,the fullness of Christ who fills all in all.

You were once dead because of your trespasses and sins.2In the past you walked according to the ways of this world

and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spiritthat is presently at work in the sons of disobedience. 3We allpreviously lived like them, walking after the lusts of the fleshby fulfilling the desires of our flesh and mind; we were by na-ture children of wrath just like them.

4But God—who is rich in mercy, because of the great lovewith which He loved us— 5made us alive with Christ eventhough we were dead in our transgressions—for by grace you

have been saved. 6

For in Christ Jesus, God has raised us upwith Christ and has seated us with Him in the heavenly realms,7so that in the ages to come He might show us the surpassingriches of His gracious kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this notof yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9it is not by works, so thatno man may boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, createdin Christ Jesus to do the good works that God prepared inadvance for us to walk in.

11Remember that you who are Gentiles by birth were previ-ously called “the uncircumcised” by those who call themselves“the circumcised”—a circumcision, which is made in the flesh

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by the hands of men. 12At that time you were separated fromChrist, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the

covenants of promise, living in this world without hope andwithout God. 13But now in Christ Jesus, you who were oncefar off have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

14For Christ is our peace, and He has made both groups oneby tearing down the wall of division. 15He abolished in His fleshthe hostility of the law with its commandments and decrees,making peace between the two by creating in Himself one newman out of the two, 16that through the cross He might rec-

oncile both groups to God, making them into one body, thuskilling their hostility. 17He came and proclaimed the good newsof peace to you who were far off, and to those who were near.18For through Christ both groups have access to the Father byone Spirit.

19 Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, butfellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s house-hold. 20You have been built on the foundation of the apostles

and prophets, and Jesus Christ Himself is the Chief Corner-stone. 21In Him the whole building is being joined together andis growing into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 Through Christ youGentles are also being built together to become a dwellingplace where God lives by His Spirit.

For this reason, I, Paul, have become a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles. 2Surely you have heard

that God has made me a steward of His grace to you Gentiles.3I received this mystery by revelation, as I briefly wrote before.4So as you read this you will be able to understand myknowledge in the mystery of Christ. 5In past generations thismystery was not made known to men, but now it has beenrevealed by God’s Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets.6 This is the mystery: that through the gospel the Gentiles arefellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of God’s promise in Christ. 7I have become a minister of this

gospel by the gift of God’s grace, which He has given to methrough the working of His power. 8Although I am the veryleast of all the saints, I was given this grace of preaching the

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unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles, 9to shed light onthis mysterious plan that through the ages has been hidden in

God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, 10

that the mani-fold wisdom of God might be made known through the churchto the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. 11 Thiswas according to God’s eternal purpose that He carried outthrough Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we can boldly ap-proach God with confidence through faith in Him. 13So I ask

you not to be disheartened because of the troubles I suffer on your behalf, for they are for your glory.

14

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father of ourLord Jesus Christ, 15from whom every family in heaven and onearth is named. 16I pray that according to His glorious richesHe would strengthen your inner man with power through HisSpirit, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.I also pray that you will be rooted and grounded in love, 18sothat you may be able to comprehend with all the saints, howwide, how long, how high, and how deep Christ’s love is, 19andthat you may know the love of Christ, which surpasses all

knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantlybeyond all we ask or think, according to His power that is atwork within us, 21to Him be glory in the church and in Christ

Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen.

I, Paul, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a man-ner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,2with all humility and meekness, bearing patiently with oneanother in love, 3being diligent to keep the unity of the Spiritthrough the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—

just as when you were called you were called to one hope— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all,who is above all, who is everywhere, and who lives in us all.

7

But each one of us has been given a certain measure of grace according to the gift of Christ. 8 That is why it says:

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“When He ascended on high,He led captivity captive,

and gave gifts to men.”(Psalm 68:18)

9Does not the words “He ascended” mean that He also de-scended to the lower parts, that is, descended to the earth?10 The One who descended is also the same One who ascendedfar above all the heavens, so that He would fill everything.

11Christ gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and

teachers, 12

for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of theministry, and for the edification of the body of Christ, 13untilwe all become united in the faith and in the full knowledge of God’s Son, becoming a fully grown man that measures up tothe maturity and stature of Christ’s fullness. 14 Then we will nolonger be infants tossed to and fro and carried about by everywind of doctrine, which is taught by cunning men in theircraftiness and deceitful schemes. 15Instead, by speaking thetruth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ who is

the head. 16

From Him the whole body is joined and held to-gether by every contributing joint. And when each one of theparts does its work, the body grows and edifies itself in love.

17 Therefore I say this, and testify in the Lord: you must nolonger walk as the other Gentiles do, because they walk in thefoolishness of their thinking. 18 Their minds are full of darknessand they are alienated from the life of God, because of theirignorance and their hard hearts. 19 They have become apathetic

and have given themselves over to sensuality, greedily prac-ticing every kind of impurity.

20But that is not what you have learned about Christ! 21If you have truly heard about Him, and have been taught aboutHim according to the truth in Jesus: 22then cast off the old manalong with its former behaviour, for it is corrupted by deceitfuldesires. 23Instead, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24andput on the new man, which is created after God’s likeness in

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25 Therefore cast off falsehood,

“let every man speak the truth tohis neighbour,”(Zechariah 8:16)

for we are all members of one body.

26“When you are angry, do not sin.”(Psalm 4:4)

Do not let the sun go down without dealing with your anger,27or give the devil a place of opportunity. 28 Those who stealmust stop stealing and start working, using their own handsfor what is good, so that they may have something to sharewith those in need. 29Do not let any corrupt words come out of

your mouth, but only speak what is good and useful for edi-fication, so that those who hear will benefit. 30Do not grieveGod’s Holy Spirit, by whom you were sealed for the day of re-demption. 31Remove all bitterness, rage, anger, quarrelling,

and slander from among you, along with all hatred. 32

Be kindand tender-hearted to one another, forgiving one another justas God forgave you in Christ.

As beloved children be imitators of God. 2Walk in love, justas Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as an of-

fering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling fragrance.

3

Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed evenmentioned among you, because these things are improper forthe saints. 4Let there be no obscenity, foolish talk, or course

joking among you, because these things are improper, but in-stead give thanksgiving. 5For we know that no sexually per-verted, or impure, or covetous idolater, has any inheritance inthe kingdom of Christ and God. 6Let no man deceive you withempty words, for because of these things the wrath of Godcomes upon the sons of disobedience. 7So do not be partici-

pants with them.8You were once darkness, but in the Lord you are now light.

So walk as children of the light. 9For the fruit of the Spirit

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consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10So ex-amine what is acceptable to the Lord. 11And do not participate

in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead refute andexpose them. 12For it is shameful even to speak of the thingsthey have done in secret.

13Everything that is exposed by the light becomes visible,and where everything is visible there is light. 14 That is why itsays,

“Wake up, sleeper, arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine upon you.”102

15So be careful how you live, do not be unwise but wise.16Spend your time wisely, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what theLord’s will is. 18Do not get drunk with wine, and indulge inimmorality, but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19speak-ing to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,

singing and playing music with your hearts to the Lord, 20

al-ways giving thanks to God the Father for everything in thename of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21submitting to one another inthe fear of God.

22Wives, submit to your husbands, as you would to the Lord.23For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is thehead of the church. The church is His body, and He is itsSaviour. 24 Just as the church submits to Christ, wives must

also submit to their husbands in everything.25Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. For

He gave Himself up for the church, 26so that He might sanctifyand cleanse it by washing it with the water of the word, 27inorder to present a glorious church to Himself. A church with-out spot or wrinkle or any other kind of blemish, a church thatis holy and blameless. 28In the same way, husbands ought tolove their wives as they do their own bodies. The man who

loves his wife loves himself. 29

For no man hates his own body.102 Quoted from an unknown source, but may allude to Isaiah26:19 and Isaiah 60:1-3.



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On the contrary, he nurtures and cares for it. Just as Christnurtures and cares for the church. 30We are members of His

body—of His flesh and of His bones.31“For this reason a man will leave his father

and mother and will be joined to his wife,and the two will become one flesh.”(Genesis 2:24)

32 This is a great mystery; of course, I am speaking aboutChrist and the church. 33Nevertheless, every man must love

his wife as he loves himself, and every wife must respect herhusband.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.2“Honour your father and mother”—this is the first com-

mandment with a promise— 3“so that it may go well with you,and that you may live long on the earth.”103

4

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but nur-ture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and tremblingand with a sincere heart, as you would Christ. 6Do not bepeople-pleasers, only working hard when your master iswatching. But work as Christ’s slaves, doing God’s will from

your heart. 7Serve them with kindness, as you would theLord—not man. 8Remember that the Lord will reward every

man for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.9Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threat-

en them, for you know that both their Master and yours is inheaven, and that He shows no favouritism.

10Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in thepower of His might. 11And put on the full armour of God, sothat you will be able to stand firm against the devil’s schemes.12

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but againstthe rulers, against the authorities, against the powers who

103 Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16

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govern this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that you willbe able to stand against the enemy in the day of evil, and after

you have done everything, stand firm. 14 Therefore, stand firm!Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist, put on thebreastplate of righteousness, 15and shoe your feet with thepreparation of the gospel of peace. 16Also take up the shield of faith, for with it you will be able to extinguish all the flamingarrows of the evil one. 17And take the helmet of salvation and

the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18

Pray in theSpirit at all times with all kinds of prayers and petitions, al-ways watching persistently, making petitions for all the saints.19Pray for me also, that God will give me the right words to saywhen I open my mouth to speak, so that I will have the bold-ness to preach the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am anambassador in chains, so that I will be able to speak as boldlyas I should.

21

Now Tychicus, who is a beloved brother and faithfulminister in the Lord, will tell you everything about how I amand what I am doing. 22I have sent him to you for this verypurpose, so that you may know how we are doing, and that hemay comfort your hearts.

23Peace to the brothers, may love combined with faith be yours from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Gracebe to all who sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen.



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Philippians

From: Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. To all thesaints of Christ Jesus who live in the city of Philippi,

together with the overseers and deacons:


3

I thank my God whenever I remember you. 4

Whenever Ipray for all of you, I always make my petitions with joy. 5For you have been my fellow partners in the gospel from the firstday until now. 6I am confident of this: that He who began agood work in you will continue doing so until He finishes it onthe day of Jesus Christ. 7It is right for me to think this wayabout all of you, because I hold you in my heart. For whether Iam in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, you areall partakers with me of grace. 8God is my witness of how I

long for all of you with the tender mercies of Jesus Christ.

9And I pray that your love will abound even more and morein all knowledge and discernment. 10I pray that you will beable to approve what is true and genuine, so that you may besincere and blameless until the day of Christ, 11being filledwith the fruit of righteousness through Jesus Christ, to theglory and praise of God.

12

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened tome has happened for the advancement of the gospel. 13It hasbecome apparent throughout the whole praetorian guard andto everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Many of thebrothers have become confident in the Lord because of mychains, and are speaking the word more courageously withoutfear.

15Some truly preach Christ out of envy and strife, but others

out of goodwill. 16

Those who proclaim Christ out of strife arenot sincere, and are adding affliction to my chains. 17But theothers do it out of love, knowing that I have been appointed to

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defend the gospel. 18But why should I worry about that? For inevery way Christ is being proclaimed, whether with false mo-

tives or true. And for this reason I rejoice, and will continue torejoice.

19I know that because of your petitions and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance.20I eagerly expect and hope that I will not be ashamed of anything; that now, as always, with all boldness, Christ will bemagnified in my body—whether by life or death. 21For to me, tolive is Christ, and to die is gain. 22If living in this body means

more fruitful work for me, then what should I choose? I do notknow! 23I am hard-pressed and cannot choose between thetwo: I long to depart and be with Christ, which is far better,24but for you it is more necessary that I remain in the body.25Convinced of this, I know that I will stay and continuehelping all of you for your advancement and joy in the faith.26 Then, when I return to you again, you may boast about whatChrist Jesus has done for me.

27

I ask only that you live in a manner worthy of the gospelof Christ. Then, whether I come to see you or remain absent, Iwill hear that you are standing firm, united in one Spirit, withone mind, striving together in the faith of the gospel, 28withoutbeing frightened in anyway by your opponents—which is a signto them that they will perish, but that you will be saved, andthat by God. 29For on behalf of Christ, you have not only beengiven the privilege to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him.30And now you are in the same conflict that you previously saw

me in, and still hear that I am in.

Now if you have any encouragement in Christ, if you haveany comfort from His love, if you have any fellowship with

His Spirit, and if you have any sympathy and compassion,2then make my joy complete by being like-minded with one pur-pose, united as one with the same love. 3Do not do anythingout of strife or self-conceit, but in humility think of others as

better than yourselves. 4

Do not only look out for your own in-terests, but also for the interests of others.

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5Have the same attitude in yourselves as Christ Jesus:

6

Who, although He existed in the form of God,did not consider His equality with Godas something to hold on to.

7Instead He emptied Himself,took on the form of a slave,and was born in the likeness of men.

8And when He appeared as a man,He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—

death on the cross!9 Therefore God has highly exalted Himand has given Him the namethat is above all names,

10that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and every tongue will confessthat Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.

12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always been obe-dient—not only in my presence, but now even more so in myabsence—work out your salvation with fear and trembling.13For God is the One working in you to produce the desiresand actions that accomplish His purpose.

14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and innocent children of God, who

are faultless in the midst of a twisted and perverse generation,among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16as you hold onto the word of life, so that I will be able to boast on the day of Christ because I did not run or labour in vain.

17But even though I am being poured out like a drink offer-ing on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad andrejoice with all of you. 18In the same way, you should also beglad and rejoice with me.

19Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to youshortly, so that I may be encouraged when I learn of your well-being. 20I have no one else who is like-minded, with such



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genuine care for your welfare. 21For everyone else looks out fortheir own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22But you know

that Timothy has proven himself trustworthy, like a son withhis father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.23 Therefore, I hope to send him as soon as I learn of mycircumstances. 24And I trust in the Lord that I will also comeshortly.

25I think it is necessary to send Epaphroditus back to you.He is a brother, fellow-worker, and fellow-soldier with me, andhe is the messenger that you sent to minister to my needs.26

He longs for all of you and is distressed because you heardthat he was sick. 27For truly he was sick and close to death.But God had mercy on him, not only on him but also on me, tokeep me from sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am very eagerto send him back, so that you may see him again and rejoice,and that I may not be so worried. 29Give him a joyful welcomein the Lord, and honour men like him. 30For he almost died forthe work of Christ, risking his life to supply the help you couldnot give me.

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. I have no problemwriting to you the same things over again, because it is for

your own safety.

2Beware of those dogs, those evil workers, those mutilatorsof the flesh! 3For we are the true circumcision, we who worshipby the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put

no confidence in the flesh. 4

Yet I have some basis for havingconfidence in the flesh. And if anyone else thinks he can placehis confidence in the flesh, I can even more:

5I was circumcised on the eight day,I am a descendant of Israel,from the tribe of Benjamin,a Hebrew of Hebrew parents,according to the law, a Pharisee.

6

According to zeal, I persecuted the church;according to legalistic righteousness,blameless.

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7 These things were once valuable to me, but now I countthem as loss for the sake of Christ. 8I truly count everything a

loss compared to the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of allthings and count it all as rubbish so that I may gain Christ,9and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of myown that is based on the law—but having a righteousness fromGod that is based on faith in Christ. 10I want to know Christ, Iwant to know the power of His resurrection, I want to share inthe fellowship of His sufferings, I want to become like Him inHis death, 11so that somehow I may attain the resurrection of

the dead.12I have not obtained it yet, or have been perfected yet, but I

am pursuing to take hold of it because Christ Jesus took holdof me. 13Brothers, I know that I have not taken hold of it yet.But this one thing I do: I forget what is behind and reach forwhat is ahead. 14I am pursuing after the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling in Christ Jesus.

15

Everyone who is mature should think like this. If anyonethinks otherwise, God will reveal these things to him. 16Never-theless, we must continue walking according to the standardwe have already attained.

17Imitate what I do brothers, and closely watch those whowalk according to the example we have given to you. 18As Ihave often told you, and in tears I say it again, many walk asenemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their

god is their stomach, their glory is their shame, and theirminds are on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven,and from there we eagerly await the return of our Saviour, theLord Jesus Christ. 21He will transform our lowly bodies to belike His glorious body, by the working of His power—whichbrings everything under His authority.

Therefore, my beloved brothers whom I long for, my joy

and crown, stand firm in the Lord my beloved.2I beg Euodia, and I beg Syntyche, to agree in the Lord. 3I

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they have struggled with me in the gospel, along with Clementand the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the Book

of Life.4Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, rejoice!

5Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord’s comingis near!

6Do not worry about anything, but in every situation make your requests known to God by prayers, petitions, and thanks-

giving. 7

Then God’s peace, which surpasses all understanding,will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable,whatever is righteous, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,whatever is well spoken of—if anything is virtuous, if anythingis praiseworthy—think about these things. 9Practice whatever

you have learned, received, heard, and seen in me. And theGod of peace will be with you.

10I greatly rejoice in the Lord, because you have once againrenewed your concern for me. Truly you have been concernedfor me, but have not had the opportunity to show it. 11I am notsaying this because I have need of anything, for I have learnedto be content no matter what circumstances I am in. 12I knowhow to live by humble means, and I know how to live in abun-dance. I have learned the secret of living in any and everycircumstance, whether full or hungry, whether prospering or

in need. 13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthensme.

14Nevertheless, it was good of you to share in my afflictions.15As you Philippians know, after I first preached the gospel to

you, when I departed from the province of Macedonia, not evenone church shared with me in the matter of giving and re-ceiving except for you alone. 16Even when I was in need in

Thessalonica, you sent me aid not only once but twice. 17It is

not gifts that I desire, but what I desire is that fruit may becredited to your account. 18I have been supplied in allabundance now that I have received the gifts you sent with





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Colossians

From: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,and our brother Timothy. 2 To the saints and faithful broth-

ers in the city of Colosse who are in Christ:


3

We always pray for you, giving thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4For we have heard of your faith inChrist Jesus and your love for all the saints, 5which stemsfrom the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, which youhave previously heard about in the word of truth—the gospel.6It has come to you and to the whole world bearing fruit andgrowing, as it has been doing in you since the day you firstheard it and understood the truth of God’s grace. 7You learnedabout the gospel from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-slave, who

is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf. 8

He has told usof your love in the Spirit.

9For this reason, since the day we first heard about this, wehave not stopped praying for you. We have been asking God tofill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdomand understanding, 10so that you may walk in a manner wor-thy of the Lord, pleasing Him in all things, bearing fruit in eve-ry good work, and growing in the knowledge of God, 11so that

by His glorious might you may be strengthened with all powerto patiently endure all things with joy, 12always giving thanksto the Father, who has enabled us to share in the inheritanceof the saints of light. 13For He has rescued us from the powersof darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of Hisbeloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption through Hisblood—the forgiveness of sins.

15Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all

creation. 16

For through Him all things were created in heavenand on earth, things visible and invisible, whether kings orlords or rulers or authorities. All things were created through

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Him and for Him. 17He existed before everything, and He sus-tains all things. 18Christ is the head of the body, which is the

church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, sothat He will be superior in all things. 19For the Father waspleased to have all His fullness live in Christ, 20and to reconcileall things to Himself through Christ, whether things on earthor in heaven, by making peace through the blood Christ shedon the cross.

21In the past you were alienated from God with a hostileattitude towards Him, because of your evil works. 22But now

God has reconciled you by the death of Christ’s physical body,in order to present you holy and blameless and without faultbefore Him. 23 That is, only if you remain in the faith, having afirm foundation, not being moved or swayed from the hope of the gospel that you have heard—the gospel that has beenproclaimed to all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul,have become a minister.

24Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, because I am

filling up what is lacking in my flesh concerning Christ’s afflic-tions, which is for the sake of His body—the church, 25of whichI have become a minister according to the stewardship thatGod has given to me for your sake, so that I might fully preachthe word of God; 26the mystery that has been hidden for agesand generations but now has been revealed to the saints, 27towhom God chose to make known the glorious riches of thismystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hopeof glory.

28We proclaim Christ, warning and teaching every man withall wisdom, so that we may present every man complete inChrist Jesus. 29For this purpose I work hard and struggle, ac-cording to the working of His power that works within me.

I want you to know how much I struggle for you and forthose at Laodicea, and for all those who have not seen my

face in person. 2

I want their hearts to be encouraged andunited in love, being rich in every way, because they are fullyassured in their understanding of the knowledge of the mys-tery of God the Father, which is Christ. 3In Him are hidden all

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the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4I am telling you this,so that no one will deceive you with persuasive words.5

Although I am physically absent, I am present with you inspirit, and I rejoice when I see how orderly and firm your faithin Christ is.

6Now that you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, you mustwalk in Him, 7being rooted and built up in Him, established inthe faith as you were taught, and abounding with thanks-giving.

8

Beware that no man robs your faith through philosophiesand empty delusions that are according to the traditions of men and according to the elementary principles of this world,rather than according to Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullnessof the Godhead lives in bodily form. 10And you are complete inChrist, who is the head over all rule and authority.

11In Him you were also circumcised, but not by a circumci-sion performed by human hands. Instead it was a circumcision

that stripped off the sinful nature, a circumcision performedby Christ. 12You were buried with Him in baptism and wereraised with Him through your faith in the working of God, whoraised Him from the dead. 13You were once dead in your trans-gressions and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, butGod made you alive with Christ by forgiving us of all ourtransgressions. 14He cancelled the charges that were writtenagainst us regarding the decrees of the law that stood againstus, taking them out of the way by nailing them to the cross.15

Having stripped the rulers and authorities, He made a publicspectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

16Let no man judge you by what you eat or drink, or in re-spect to a festival, new moon, or Sabbath. 17 These things are ashadow of what was to come: Christ Himself. 18Let no manwho delights in false humility and the worship of angels cause

you to be disqualified from receiving the prize. These men in-vestigate things they have not seen and are puffed up for no

reason by their fleshly minds. 19

They are not holding to thehead, from whom the whole body is nourished and joined to-gether by its joints and ligaments as God makes it grow.



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20If you died with Christ to the elementary principles of thisworld, then why are you submitting to its rules as though you

still belonged to it? 21

“Do not handle, do not taste, and do nottouch!” 22 These rules will all perish with use, because they areonly the commandments and teachings of men. 23 These rulesmay have the appearance of wisdom because of their self-imposed worship, false humility, and harsh discipline of thebody, but they are useless when it comes to conquering thedesires of the flesh.

If you were raised with Christ, then seek the things fromabove, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things above, not on earthly things. 3For youhave died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.4When Christ who is your life appears, then you will also ap-pear with Him in glory.

5So put to death whatever is earthly in you: fornication,impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed—which is a form of

idolatry. 6

For because of these things the wrath of God willcome upon the sons of disobedience. 7You once walked inthese ways when you lived among them. 8But now you mustput them all away: anger, rage, hatred, slander, and all filthytalk from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another since youhave stripped off the old man with his practices, 10and haveput on the new man who is being renewed in the knowledge of his Creator’s image— 11in Him there is no Greek or Jew, cir-cumcised or uncircumcised, foreigner, savage, slave or free;

but Christ is all, and in all.12 Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe

yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meek-ness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and forgivingeach other. If anyone has a complaint against another, forgivethem as Christ forgave you. 14And above all these things clothe

yourselves with love, which binds everything together perfectly.15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, because you

were called into one body to live in peace. And always bethankful. 16Let the word of Christ live in you richly, as youteach and warn one another with all wisdom, as you gratefullysing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs in your hearts to the

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that if he comes to you, welcome him. 11And Jesus, who iscalled Justus, also greets you. These men are the only ones of

the circumcision who are my fellow-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

12Epaphras, a slave of Christ, who is one of you, greets you.He always struggles for you in prayer, praying that you maystand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13I bearwitness that he is very zealous for you and for those in thecities of Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14Luke, the beloved phy-sician, greets you, along with Demas. 15Greet the brothers in

Laodicea, and greet Nymphas and the church that meets in hishouse.

16After this letter has been read among you, make sure it isread to the church of Laodicea. And likewise, read the letterthat I sent to Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus: “See to it that youfulfill the ministry that you have received from the Lord.”

18I, Paul, greet you with my own hand writing. Remember

my chains. Grace be with you! Amen.



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1 Thessalonians

From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus

Christ:


2

We always give thanks to God for all of you as we remem-ber you in our prayers. 3In the presence of our God and Fatherwe constantly remember your work of faith, your labour of love, and your endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.4We know, brothers, that God loves you and has chosen you.5For our gospel not only came to you in word but also inpower, with a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and greatconviction. You know how we lived among you; we were yourexamples.

6You became imitators of us and of the Lord. In spite of much tribulation, you received the word with the joy of theHoly Spirit. 7You became an example to all the believers in theprovinces of Macedonia and Achaia. 8And the word of the Lordhas echoed out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia,but also in every place where your faith in God has becomeknown. As a result, we do not need to say anything. 9For theythemselves tell us about the way you welcomed us, and how

you turned from idols to serve the living and true God. 10

Theyalso tell us that you are waiting for God’s Son to come fromheaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescuesus from the coming wrath.

Brothers, you know that our visit to you was not in vain.2As you know, before we came to you we suffered and were

mistreated in the city of Philippi. Yet we were bold in our God,

and told you about His gospel in spite of much opposition. 3

Forour appeal does not stem from error, impurity, or deceit.

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4On the Contrary, we have been approved by God and en-trusted with the gospel. We do not speak to please men but

God, who tests our hearts. 5

As you know, we did not use flat-tering words or put on an act to get your money. God is ourwitness! 6Niether did we seek praise from men, not from you oranyone else. As apostles of Christ we could have asserted ourauthority. 7But instead, we were gentle among you, like anursing mother cherishing her own children. 8We had suchgreat affection for you that we were not only willing to sharethe gospel of God with you but also our own lives, because youhad become very dear to us. 9Brothers, you remember how we

laboured and toiled when we preached the gospel of God to you. We worked night and day, so that we would not be aburden to any of you.

10You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous,and blameless we were among you believers. 11You know thatwe encouraged each one of you, comforting and urging you asa father would his own children. 12We did this so that youwould walk in a manner worthy of God, who has called you

into His kingdom and glory.13And we also thank God continually for this: when you

received the word of God, which you heard from us, you didnot accept it as the word of men, but you accepted it for whatit truly is—the word of God, which works in you who believe.14For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in

Judea, which are in Christ Jesus. You suffered the samethings from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,15

who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, andhave also persecuted us. They do not please God and arehostile to all men. 16 They are always trying to hinder us frompreaching to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. By doingthis they are always filling up their sins. But God’s wrath isupon them to the end.

17Brothers, although we have been separated from you for ashort time—in person but not in our hearts—we eagerly desire

to see your face. 18

We wanted to come to you. Truly I, Paul,wanted to several times, but satan hindered us. 19For who isour hope, our joy, and our crown of boasting in the presence of



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our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? Is it not you? 20For youare our glory and joy!

When we could no longer bear it, we thought it best to staybehind in Athens, 2and sent our brother Timothy to you.

He is a minister of God and a fellow-worker along with us inthe gospel of Christ. We sent him to strengthen and encourage

you in your faith, 3so that no one would be moved by theseafflictions. For you know that we have been appointed to facesuch things. 4In fact, when we were with you, we told you

beforehand that we were going to suffer tribulation. And as youknow, it came to pass. 5So when I could no longer bear it, Isent Timothy to find out about your faith. I was afraid thatsomehow the tempter might have tempted you and our labourmight have been in vain.

6But Timothy has just returned from visiting you, and hasbrought us good news about your faith and love. He has toldus that you always have good memories of us and that you

long to see us, just as we also long to see you. 7

Therefore,brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been com-forted about you because of your faith. 8It brings great joy toour lives, knowing that you are standing firm in the Lord.

9And how can we give God enough thanks for you, for allthe joy you have given us in the presence of God. 10Night andday we petition God most earnestly that we may see you inperson and supply what is lacking in your faith.

11Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord JesusChrist, direct us your way. 12May the Lord make you increaseand abound in love for one another, and for all men, as ourlove does for you. 13And may the Lord strengthen your hearts,so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of ourGod and Father when our Lord Jesus Christ comes with all Hissaints.

You received instructions from us on how you must walkin order to please God, brothers, but now we ask and en-

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courage you in the Lord Jesus to do so more and more. 2For you know the instructions we gave to you through the Lord

Jesus.3For it is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you

abstain from sexual immorality. 4Each of you must know howto control his own body in holiness and honour, 5not in lustfulpassion like the Gentiles who do not know God. 6No manshould go beyond proper limits and take advantage of hisbrother in this matter, for the Lord will punish all who do suchthings, just as we have already told you and warned you. 7For

God did not call us to be impure, but to be holy. 8

Therefore,anyone who rejects these instructions is not rejecting man butGod, who gives you His Holy Spirit.

9We do not need to write to you about brotherly love,because God has taught you to love one another. 10And youtruly have shown your love to all the brothers throughoutMacedonia. But we encourage you, brothers, to love them evenmore. 11You must strive to live a quiet life, minding your own

business and working with your own hands, just as weinstructed you. 12 Then you can walk honestly in your dealingswith unbelievers, without needing a thing.

13I do not want you to be ignorant about those who havedied, brothers, because I do not want you to grieve like thosewho have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and roseagain, we must also believe that God will bring with Jesusthose who have died in Him.

15We say this to you by the word of the Lord: we who remainalive until the coming of the Lord will not go up before thosewho have died. 16For the Lord Himself will descend fromheaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with thetrumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Thenwe who remain alive will be caught up together with them inthe clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always bewith the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these

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Brothers, we do not need to write to you about times andseasons, 2for you know perfectly well that the day of the

Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3

When they say, “Peaceand security,” then destruction will suddenly come on themlike a pregnant woman with labour pains, and they will notescape.

4But you brothers are not in darkness, that this day shouldovertake you like a thief. 5For you are all sons of the light andsons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to thedarkness. 6So let us not fall asleep like others do, but let us

stay awake and be sober. 7

For those who sleep, sleep at night,and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8But we belongto the day, so let us be sober. Let us put on faith and love as abreastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9For Godhas not appointed us to suffer wrath, but to obtain salvationthrough our Lord Jesus Christ. 10He died for us so that,whether we are dead or alive, we may live together with Him.

11 Therefore encourage and build up one another, as you are

already doing. 12

Now, brothers, we ask you to respect thosewho work hard among you, to respect those who preside over you in the Lord and who warn you. 13You should highly re-spect and love them because of the work they do. Live in peacewith one another.

14We urge you, brothers, to warn the disorderly, to encour-age the disheartened, to help the weak, and to be patient witheveryone. 15See to it that no one repays anyone evil for evil.

Instead, always pursue what is good for one another and foreveryone else.

16Rejoice always! 17Pray without ceasing! 18In everything givethanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecy.21 Test all things, and hold on to what is good. 22Abstain fromevery appearance of evil.

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23Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you com-pletely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept

blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24

The Onewho calls you is faithful, and He will accomplish it.

25Brothers, pray for us. 26Greet all the brothers with a holykiss. 27I bind you with an oath by the Lord, to have this letterread to all the holy brothers.

28May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!Amen.



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2 Thessalonians

From: Paul, Silas, and Timothy. To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus

Christ:


3

We must always give thanks to God for you brothers, as isright, because your faith is growing by leaps and bounds and your love for one another continues to increase. 4 Therefore weboast among God’s churches about your perseverance andfaith in all the persecutions and afflictions that you are en-during. 5 These things not only indicate that God’s judgment isright, but also that you will be counted worthy of the kingdomof God, for which you are suffering. 6For God in His justice willrepay those who afflict you with affliction, 7and will give rest to

you who are afflicted and to us as well, when the Lord Jesuscomes from heaven in flaming fire with His mighty angels. 8Hewill punish those who do not know God, and those who do notobey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 They will pay thepenalty of eternal destruction, they will be cut off from thepresence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10whenHe comes on that day to be glorified in His saints and to beadmired by all who have believed—including you, because youbelieved our testimony.

11With this in mind we always pray that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that through His power you mayfulfill every good desire and work of faith. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you, and you in Him,according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, brothers, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus

Christ and our being gathered to meet Him: we beg you,2do not be easily shaken in your mind or frightened because of a prophecy, message, or letter that was supposedly from us,

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claiming that the day of the Lord has already come. 3Do not letanyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come

until there is first a great falling away from the truth and theman of sin is revealed, the son of destruction. 4He will opposeand exalt himself over everything that is called God, and overevery object of worship. He will sit in the temple of God as if heis God, and will proclaim that he himself is God.

5Do you not remember, I told you all about these thingswhen I was with you? 6You know what presently restrains him,so that he may be revealed in his proper time. 7For the mystery

of lawlessness is already at work, but the One who presentlyrestrains it will continue to do so until He moves out of theway. 8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom theLord will kill with the breath of His mouth—destroying him bythe splendour of His coming.104 9 The coming of the lawless oneis according to the work of satan, with all kinds of falsemiracles, signs, and wonders. 10With all unrighteousness hewill deceive all who are perishing, because they refused to lovethe truth that would save them. 11For this reason, God will

send them a strong delusion so that they will believe a lie.12 Then all who take pleasure in unrighteousness and have notbelieved the truth will be condemned.

13We must always thank God for you, brothers who areloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the be-ginning to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spiritand through faith in the truth. 14He called you to this throughour gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus

Christ. 15

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold to the

104 This mystery of lawlessness reminds Me of “MysteryBabylon.” Mystery Babylon (Revelation 17) stems from Nimrodand the tower of Babel (Genesis 10:8-12, 11:1-9), where Godconfounded the language of the people, restraining them fromcreating a one world religion, economy, and government. Justas God restrained this spirit of antichrist then, He is doing the

same today. The Holy Spirit is restraining this lawlessness aswe speak. However, once the church is raptured, the HolySpirit will stop restraining this spirit of antichrist (1 John 4:3).

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traditions that we taught you, whether it was through ourpreaching or our letters.

16May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father,who loves us and has given us eternal comfort and good hopeby His grace, 17comfort your hearts and strengthen you inevery good thing you say and do.

Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord willspread rapidly and be honoured as it has with you. 2Also

pray that we will be rescued from wicked and evil men, for notall men have faith.

3But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you andguard you from the evil one. 4We are confident in the Lordconcerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do thethings we have commanded you. 5May the Lord direct yourhearts into the love of God and the patient endurance of Christ.

6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: stay away from every brother who walks in adisorderly manner, and does not walk according to the traditionthat you received from us. 7You know what you must do toimitate us. For we did not behave in a disorderly manner whenwe were among you, 8neither did we eat anyone’s bread with-out paying for it. Instead we laboured and toiled, working nightand day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9It is

not that we did not have the right to this kind of support, butinstead we gave you an example to imitate.

10While we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” 11We hear thatsome among you are walking in a disorderly manner. They donot work and are busybodies. 12We command and encouragesuch people in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and toearn their own bread.

13Brothers, do not grow weary of doing good. 14If anyonedoes not obey what we say in this letter, take note of him. Do

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not associate with him, so that he may feel ashamed. 15Do notthink of him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

16Now may the Lord of peace Himself always give you peacein every way. The Lord be with you all.

17I, Paul, write this greeting in my own handwriting, toprove that this letter is really from me. This is the way I write.

18May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!Amen.



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1 Timothy

From: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the command-ment of God our Saviour and the Lord Jesus Christ our

hope.

2 To Timothy, my true son in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus

Christ our Lord!

3As I was departing for the province of Macedonia, I urged you to remain in the city of Ephesus, so that you could com-mand certain people not to teach false doctrines, 4or to payattention to myths and endless genealogies. These things pro-mote disputes rather than God’s work—which is by faith. 5 Thegoal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart,a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 6But some have missed

the mark and have turned astray to meaningless babble. 7

Theydesire to be teachers of the law, but they do not understandwhat they are talking about or what they constantly affirm.

8We know that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully. 9Weknow that the law is not made for the righteous but for thelawless and disobedient, the ungodly and sinner, the unholyand wicked, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, formurderers, 10homosexuals, sodomites, kidnappers, liars, false

witnesses, and for those who do whatever else is contrary tothe sound doctrine 11that comes from the glorious gospel of theblessed God, which He entrusted to me.

12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has empowered me,because He considered me faithful and appointed me to theministry. 13Even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a per-secutor, and a man full of arrogance and hatred, I receivedmercy because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The Lord’s

grace was abundantly poured out on me, along with the faithand love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a trustworthy

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statement that deserves full acceptance: Christ came into theworld to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. 16But for this

reason I received mercy, so that Jesus Christ might show Hisimmeasurable patience in me, the worst of all sinners, as anexample to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.17Now to the King who is eternal, immortal, and invisible, toHim who alone is God, be glory and honour forever and ever.Amen.

18 Timothy, my son, I have entrusted these commands to you based on the prophecies previously spoken over you, so

that you may fight the good fight— 19

holding on to faith and agood conscience, which some have rejected, causing their faithto become shipwrecked. 20Among these are Hymenaeus andAlexander, whom I have delivered over to satan so that theymay learn not to blaspheme.

I urge you first of all to make petitions, prayers, inter-cession, and thanksgiving for all men, 2for kings and for all

those in authority, so that we may live quiet lives in all god-liness and honesty. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, 4who desires all men to be saved and to cometo a full knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and oneMediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6whogave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony given at theproper time. 7For this reason I was appointed as a preacher,an apostle, and a teacher of faith and truth to the Gentiles. Iam telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying.

8I want men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, with-out anger or arguing. 9I also want women to dress in a modestway that shows respect and self-control. Not with braids, gold,pearls, or expensive clothing, 10but with good works that areproper for women who profess godliness. 11Women must learnquietly and submissively. 12I do not allow women to teach or tohave authority over men. Instead, they must remain silent.13For Adam was created first, then Eve. 14And it was not Adam

who was deceived, but it was the woman who was deceivedand fell into transgression. 15So God punished women with thepain of childbirth, but He will save them if they continue infaith, love, holiness, and self-control.

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Here is a trustworthy statement: if any man desires to bean overseer, he desires a good work. 2An overseer must be

blameless. He must be the husband of one wife. He must besober-minded, self-controlled, well behaved, hospitable, andable to teach. 3He must not be a drinker. He must not be quar-relsome. He must not be greedy for filthy lucre, but instead hemust be gentle. He must not be a brawler or a lover of money.4And he must rule his own household well, raising childrenwho respectfully obey him. 5For if a man does not know how torule his own household, how can he care for God’s church?6He must not be a new convert, or he might become self-

conceited and fall into the same condemnation as the devil.7He must also have a good reputation with those outside thechurch, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’strap.

8Likewise, deacons must be honourable. They must not betwo-faced. They must not be addicted to wine, or greedy forfilthy lucre. 9 They must hold to the mystery of the faith with aclean conscience. 10 These men must be tested first, and if they

are found blameless let them serve as deacons. 11

Likewise,their wives must be honourable. They must not be slanders,but sober-minded and faithful in all things. 12A deacon mustbe the husband of one wife, and he must rule his children andhis own household well. 13 Those who have served well asdeacons will gain a good standing for themselves, and a greaterboldness in their faith in Christ Jesus.

14I am hoping to come to you soon, so I am writing you

these things 15

in case I get delayed, so that you will know howto behave yourself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16With-out dispute, the mystery of godliness is great:

God appeared in the flesh.He was justified in the Spirit.He was seen by angels.He was proclaimed among the nations.

He was believed on in the world.And He was taken up in glory.

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The Spirit distinctly says that in the last times some willfall away from the faith. They will adhere to deceiving

spirits and the doctrines of demons, 2

which are taught byhypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as witha hot iron. 3 They forbid marriage and command people toabstain from certain foods, which God created to be eaten withthanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.4Everything God has made is good, and nothing should berejected if it is accepted with thanksgiving, 5because it issanctified through the word of God and prayer.

6

If you warn the brothers of these things, you will be a goodminister of Jesus Christ. Then you will be nourished up by thewords of faith and by the good doctrine that you have followed.7Reject godless myths and old wives’ tales, and train yourself to be godly. 8Physical training is profitable for a little while, butgodliness is profitable for all things, holding promise for thislife and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy statement thatdeserves full acceptance. 10For this reason we work hard andare criticised, because our hope rests in the living God, who is

the Saviour of all men—especially of those who believe.11Declare these things and teach them.

12Do not let anyone despise you because of your youth, butbe an example to the believers in word, in action, in love, inspirit, in faith, and in purity. 13Until I come, attend to thepublic reading of Scripture, so that you can encourage andteach the people. 14Do not neglect the spiritual gift that youreceived through prophecy when the elders laid their hands on

you. 15

Pay careful attention to these things, and give yourself fully to them, so that your progress will be apparent to all.16Pay careful attention to yourself and to your teaching.Continue in these things, for if you do, you will save both

yourself and those listening to you.

Do not rebuke an older man, but encourage him like afather. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older woman as

mothers, and younger women as sisters, with all purity.3Honour those who are really widows. 4But if a widow has

children or grandchildren, they must first learn to act in a

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“The worker is worthy of his hire.”

19

Do not except an accusation against an elder unless thereare two or three witnesses. 20Publicly rebuke all who sin, sothat the rest will also fear. 21I charge you before God and theLord Jesus Christ and the elect angels, to obey these instruc-tions without prejudice, and do nothing out of favouritism.22Do not lay your hands hastily on any man for the purpose of ordination, or you may share in their sins. Keep yourself pure!

23Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine for your

stomach and for your frequent ailments.24 The sins of some men are obvious and can be seen before

judgment, while the sins of others are only revealed after-wards. 25Likewise, good deeds are obvious, and those that arenot cannot stay hidden.

All who are under the yoke of slavery must consider their

masters worthy of all respect, so that the name of God andHis doctrine will not be blasphemed. 2 The slave who has a be-lieving master must not despise him because he is a brother.Instead, they should serve him more zealously because the onewho benefits from their help is a beloved believer. Teach andencourage these things.

3If any man teaches another doctrine that does not agreewith the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the

doctrine that is according to godliness, 4

he is conceited andunderstands nothing. He is morbidly interested in contro-versies and disputes, which only cause envy, strife, slander,evil suspicions, 5and constant friction between men whosecorrupt minds are destitute of the truth. They think that godli-ness is a means of gaining money. Depart from such people.

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we didnot bring anything into this world, and we cannot carry any-thing out. 8If we have food and clothing, we will be content.9But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are

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snared by many foolish and hurtful desires that cause men tosink into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is aroot of all kinds of evil, which some have lusted after and havebeen led astray from the faith—piercing themselves with manysorrows.

11But you, man of God, must flee from these things andpursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, andmeekness. 12Fight the good fight of faith. Seize hold of theeternal life to which you were called when you made the goodconfession before many witnesses. 13I command you beforeGod, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, whomade the good confession when He testified before PontiusPilate, 14to keep this commandment without spot or blameuntil the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15His appearingwill be revealed at the proper time by God, who is the blessedand sole Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16He aloneis immortal, and He lives in unapproachable light. No man hasseen Him or can see Him. To Him be honour and everlastingdominion! Amen.

17Command those who are rich in this present world not tobe arrogant or to place their hope in the uncertainty of riches,but to place their hope in the living God who richly gives us allthings for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to berich in good works, to be generous, and to be ready to share.19By doing this they will be storing up treasure for themselvesas a good foundation for the future, so that they may take holdof everlasting life.

20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoidempty fruitless discussions and the opposing theories of whatis falsely called knowledge, 21which some have professed con-cerning the faith and have missed the mark.

Grace be with you! Amen.



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2 Timothy

From: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,sent to proclaim the promise of life in Christ Jesus. 2 To

Timothy my beloved son:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

3

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as myforefathers did, because I constantly remember you in myprayers day and night. 4I remember your tears and long to see

you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I remember the sincerefaith that is in you. It first lived in your grandmother Lois andin your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that it also lives in

you. 6For this reason I remind you to keep rekindling the gift of God, which was given to you when I laid my hands on you.7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power,

love, and self-discipline.

8So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner. Instead, by the power of God, join with me insuffering for the gospel. 9For God has saved us and called uswith a holy calling, not according to our works but accordingto His purpose and grace, which He gave to us in Christ Jesusbefore time began. 10 This grace has now been revealed by theappearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who has destroyed

death and brought life and immortality to light through thegospel. 11For the sake of this gospel I was appointed a preach-er, an apostle, and a teacher to the Gentiles. 12 That is why Iam suffering these things, but I am not ashamed. For I knowwhom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able toguard what I have entrusted to Him until the day He comes.

13With faith and love in Christ Jesus, hold on to the patternof sound teaching that you heard from me. 14Guard this good

deposit of the truth through the Holy Spirit who lives in you.

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15You know that everyone in the province of Asia has turnedtheir backs on me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16May

the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, be-cause he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of mychains. 17For when he came to Rome, he searched diligentlyand found me. 18May the Lord grant him to find mercy on theday the Lord returns! You know very well how much he min-istered to me in Ephesus.

My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.2

And the things that you have heard me say in the pres-ence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will beable to teach others. 3You must suffer hardship as a goodsoldier of Jesus Christ. 4No soldier gets involved in the affairsof civilian life, because he wants to please his commandingofficer. 5Likewise, an athlete cannot win the prize unless hecompetes by the rules. 6 The farmer who works the land shouldbe the first to receive a share of the crops. 7Consider what Ihave said and the Lord will help you to understand everything.

8Remember Jesus Christ, He was a descendant of David, Hewas raised from the dead, and this is my gospel. 9For the sakeof this gospel I have suffered hardship and have been shackledlike a criminal, but God’s word has not been bound! 10 There-fore I endure all these things for the sake of the elect, so thatthey may also obtain salvation in Christ Jesus along with eter-nal glory.

11

Here is a trustworthy statement:

If we died with Him, we will also live with Him.12If we endure, we will also reign with Him.If we deny Him, He will also deny us.13If we are faithless, He remains faithful,

because He cannot contradict Himself.

14Remind them of these things and warn them before God

not to argue over words, because it is of no profit and willdestroy those listening. 15Diligently present yourself to God asone who is approved, a worker who has no reason to beashamed, because he correctly handles the word of truth.

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16Avoid wicked and fruitless discussions, for those who engagein such things will become more ungodly. 17 Their words will

spread like gangrene. Like Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18

whohave turned away from the truth. They say that the res-urrection has already taken place, and in so doing havedestroyed the faith of some. 19Nevertheless, God’s foundationstands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knowsthose who are His,”105 and “Everyone who professes the nameof Christ must depart from iniquity.”

20In a large house there are not only vessels of gold and

silver, but also of wood and clay. Some vessels are used forhonourable purposes, and some for dishonourable purposes.21If a man cleanses himself from what is dishonourable, he willbe a vessel of honour that has been sanctified and made usefulto the Master and prepared for every good work. 22Flee from

youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, andpeace, together with all those who call on the Lord with a pureheart. 23Avoid foolish and stupid arguments, because youknow that they cause controversy. 24A servant of the Lord

must not quarrel. Instead, he must be kind to everyone, hemust be able to teach, and he must be patient. 25He mustgently instruct those who oppose him, in the hope that Godwill grant them repentance, so that they may come to theknowledge of the truth, 26and come to their senses and escapethe snare of the devil, who has held them captive to do his will.

Know this: in the last days difficult times will come. 2For

men will be lovers of themselves, and lovers of money. They will be boastful, and arrogant. They will be blasphemers. They will be disobedient to their parents. They will be ungrate-ful, and unholy. 3 They will be without natural affection. Theywill be unforgiving, slanderous, and without self-control. Theywill be cruel. They will be haters of what is good. 4 They will bedisloyal, rash, and conceited. They will be lovers of pleasure,rather than lovers of God. 5 They will have an appearance of godliness, but will reject its power. Avoid such men! 6For these

are the kind of men who sneak into households and ensnarefoolish women, who are loaded down with sins and led astray

105 Numbers 16:5, Nahum 1:7

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by all kinds of lusts, 7always learning but never able to cometo the knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres

opposed Moses, these men also oppose the truth. They aremen with corrupt minds, who are rejected concerning thefaith. 9But they will not advance any further, because theirfoolishness will be evident to all, as was the case with Jannesand Jambres.

10But you have closely followed my doctrine, my way of life,my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, my endurance,11and the persecutions and hardships that I suffered in the

cities of Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I en-dured, but the Lord rescued me from them all! 12 Truly, all whodesire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.13For evil men and impostors will become worse and worse, de-ceiving and being deceived. 14But you must continue in what

you have learned and are assured of, because you know fromwhom you have learned it. 15Since childhood you have knownthe Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise concern-ing salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16All Scripture is God-breathed and is helpful for teaching,for convicting, for correcting, and for instructing people in right-eousness, 17so that the man of God may be competent andfully equipped for every good work.

I charge you in the presence of God and the Lord JesusChrist, who will judge the living and the dead when He

appears to establish His kingdom: 2

preach the word; be pre-pared in season and out of season; warn, rebuke, and encour-age with all patience and teaching. 3For there will be a timewhen people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, theywill follow their own lusts and will gather together teachers forthemselves who will tickle their ears. 4 They will turn their earsaway from the truth and will turn astray to myths. 5But youmust be sober-minded in all things, enduring hardships, doingthe work of an evangelist, and fulfilling your ministry.

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6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, andthe time of my departure has come. 7I have fought the good

fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. 8

Now acrown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the right-eous Judge, will give to me on that day—and not only to me,but also to all who have loved His appearing.

9 Timothy, come to me as soon as possible. 10For Demas hasdeserted me, because he loves this present world, and hasgone to the city of Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to theprovince of Galatia, and Titus to the region of Dalmatia. 11Only

Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because heis useful to me in my ministry. 12I have sent Tychicus to thecity of Ephesus. 13When you come, bring the cloak that I leftwith Carpus in the city of Troas. And bring the scrolls, espe-cially the parchments.

14Alexander the coppersmith has done me a lot of harm, butthe Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15You must alsobeware of him, because he has greatly opposed our message.

16At my first defence no one stood with me, because theyhad all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!

17But the Lord stood with me and empowered me to fullyproclaim the gospel for all the Gentiles to hear. And I was res-cued from the lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me fromevery evil deed and will bring me safely into His heavenly king-dom. To Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

19Greet Priscilla and Aquila, and the household of Onesiph-orus. 20Erastus stayed in the city of Corinth, and I left Troph-imus in the city of Miletus because he was sick.

21Make every effort to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers.

22May the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be

with you! Amen.



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Titus

From: Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,sent to proclaim the faith to God’s elect and to proclaim

the knowledge of the truth that is according to godliness,2which is based on the hope of eternal life that God, who can-not lie, promised before time began. 3At the proper time Herevealed His word, through the preaching that was entrustedto me, by the command of God our Saviour.

4 To Titus, my true son in the faith that we share:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour!

5I left you on the Island of Crete, so that you could finishwhat was left incomplete and appoint elders in every city as Idirected you. 6An elder must be blameless, the husband of onewife. His children must be believers, without any accusationsof being wild and disobedient. 7For an overseer must beblameless, because he is God’s steward. He cannot be arro-gant, quick-tempered, drunk, violent, or greedy for filthy lucre.8Instead he must be hospitable, a lover of good, sober-minded,

just, holy, and self-controlled. 9He must hold fast to the trust-worthy message that he was taught, so that he can encourageothers with sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

10For there are many rebellious men whose words are emptyand deceitful, especially those belonging to the circumcisiongroup. 11 They must be silenced, because they are leadingwhole households astray by teaching things they should not beteaching—and all this for the sake of filthy lucre. 12Even one of their own prophets has said, “Cretans are always liars, evilbeasts, and lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true! Thereforerebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith14and will stop paying attention to Jewish myths and to thecommandments of men who have turned away from the truth.15All things are pure to those who are pure. But to those who

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are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure, even their mindsand consciences have been defiled. 16 They profess to know

God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable,disobedient, and are unfit to do any good work.

But you must teach about the things that line up withsound doctrine: 2older men must be sober-minded, hon-

ourable, self-controlled, and sound in faith, love, and endur-ance. 3Likewise, older women must behave reverently. Theymust not slander anyone or be enslaved to wine, because they

must teach what is right. 4

They must train the younger womento love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled andpure, to take care of their homes, to be kind, and to be sub-missive to their husbands, so that the word of God will not beblasphemed.

6Likewise, encourage the younger men to be sober-minded.7Always set an example by doing good works. In your teachingbe pure, honest, and sincere, 8teaching what is sound and be-

yond reproach, so that those who oppose you will be ashamedbecause they have nothing bad to say about us.

9Slaves must obey their masters in everything, being well-pleasing and never talking back. 10 They must not steal, butmust be good and faithful in everything, so that the teaching of God our Saviour will be attractive in every way.

11For the grace of God, which brings salvation to all men,

has appeared. 12

It instructs us to deny all ungodliness andworldly desires, and to live disciplined, righteous, godly lives inthis present age, 13while waiting for the blessed hope and glori-ous appearance of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,14who gave Himself for us so that He could redeem us from alliniquity and purify a special people for Himself—a people thatare zealous to do good works.

15 Teach these things, and encourage and rebuke with all

authority. Let no one despise you.

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Remind them to submit to the governing officials and au-thorities, to be obedient, and to be ready to do every good

work. 2

They must not slander anyone or be quarrelsome. In-stead, they must be peaceable and gentle, showing true hu-mility toward all men. 3In the past we were also foolish, dis-obedient, and deceived. We were enslaved by all kinds of lustsand pleasures, living in wickedness and envy. We were hateful,and hated one another. 4But when the kindness of God ourSaviour and His love for mankind appeared, 5He saved us—notbecause of the righteous works we had done, but because of His mercy—through the baptism of a new birth, a renewal by

the Holy Spirit, 6

whom He richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7so that being justified by His grace,we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8What I have said is trustworthy. And I want you to con-stantly declare these things, so that those who believe in Godmay be careful to devote themselves to good works, becausethese things are good and profitable for everyone.

9

But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, debates, and quar-rels about the law, because they are unprofitable and worth-less. 10After the first and second warning reject the man whocauses divisions, 11because you know that such a man is per-verted and sinful; he is self-condemned.

12When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, come to the cityof Nicopolis as soon as possible, because I have decided towinter there. 13Diligently help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on

their journey, so that they lack nothing. 14

Our people mustalso learn to devote themselves to good works and to helpthose in need, so that they will not be unfruitful.

15All those with me greet you. Greet those who love us inthe faith. Grace be with you all! Amen.

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Philemon

1From: Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and from Timothyour brother. To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow-worker, 2to Apphia our beloved sister, to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church that meets in your home:


4I always thank my God when I remember you in myprayers, 5because I hear of your love for all the saints and thefaith that you have in the Lord Jesus. 6I pray that you will beactive in sharing your faith, as you gain the knowledge of everygood thing you have in Christ Jesus. 7For we have great joyand comfort in your love, brother, because the hearts of thesaints have been refreshed by you.

8

Although I have enough authority to command you inChrist to do what is proper, 9I would rather make my appeal to you in love. I, Paul, an old man who is now a prisoner of JesusChrist, 10appeal to you concerning my son Onesimus, whosefather I became while in my chains. 11Onesimus, whose namemeans “Useful,” was once useless to you, but now he hasbecome useful to both of us.

12In sending him back to you, I am sending a part of my

very own heart. 13

I wanted to keep him with me, so that on your behalf he could minister to me while I am in these chainsfor the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without

your consent, so that any good deed you do will be done will-ingly and not because you were forced to do it.

15Perhaps he was separated from you for a while so that youcould have him back forever, 16no longer as a slave, but morethan a slave, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how

much more to you, both as a man and as a brother in theLord.



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17So if you consider me a partner, receive him as you wouldreceive me. 18And if he has wronged you or owes you anything,

charge it to my account. 19

I, Paul, am writing this in my ownhandwriting: I will repay it, not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20Yes, brother, let me have this joy from you inthe Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

21I am writing to you because I am confident of your obedi-ence, knowing that you will do even more then I ask. 22Onemore thing, prepare a place for me to stay. For I trust that

your prayers will be answered and I will be returned to you.

23Greetings from Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, 24and from my fellow-workers Mark, Aristarchus, De-mas, and Luke.

25May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with yourspirit! Amen.



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Hebrews

In the past God spoke many times and in many ways toour fathers through the prophets. 2But in these last days

God has spoken to us through His Son, whom He appointedheir of all things, and through whom He also made the uni-verse. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exactlikeness of God’s essence. The Son sustains all things by thepower of His word. After He had provided purification for our

sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.4And so He has become far more noble than the angels, andthe name He has inherited is far more excellent than theirs.

5For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are My Son,today I have become Your Father”?(Psalm 2:7)

And again,

“I will be His Father,and He will be My Son”?(2 Samuel 7:14; 1 Chronicles 17:13)

6And when God brought His firstborn Son into the world Hesaid,

“Let all of God’s angels worship Him.”(Psalm 97:7)

7He says concerning the angels,

“He makes His angels winds;His servants flames of fire.”(Psalm 104:4)

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8But concerning the Son He says,

“Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever,and the sceptre of righteousness is thesceptre of Your kingdom.

9You loved righteousness,and hated wickedness.

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed Youwith the oil of gladnessabove Your companions.”(Psalm 45:6-7)

10And again,

“In the beginning, Lord, You laid thefoundations of the earth,and the heavens are theworks of Your hands.

11 They will be destroyed, but You will remain;they will all wear out like clothes.

12

You will fold them up like a coat,and they will be changed.But You are the same,

and Your years will never end.”(Psalm 102:25-27)

13 To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at My right hand,

until I make Your enemies afootstool for Your feet.”(Psalm 110:1)

14Are they not all just ministering spirits, which are sent out toserve those who will inherit salvation?

Therefore we must pay great attention to the things we

have heard, lest at any time we drift away from it. 2

For if the word spoken through angels was firm, and every trans-gression and disobedience received its just punishment, 3howthen can we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This2



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salvation was first preached by the Lord, and was confirmed tous by those who heard Him. 4God verified their testimony by

signs and wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the HolySpirit, which He distributed according to His will. 5For God didnot choose the angels to rule the world to come, which is whatwe have been talking about. 6But someone has testified some-where, saying,

“What is man that You remember him,or the son of man that You visit him?

7You have made him a little

lower than the angels;You have crowned himwith glory and honour,and have appointed him overthe works of your hands.

8You have put all things in subjectionunder his feet.”(Psalm 8:4-6)

When God put all things under man’s subjection, He left noth-ing that was not subject to him. Yet we still do not presentlysee all things subject to man. 9But we do see that Jesus, whowas made a little lower than the angels, is now crowned withglory and honour because He suffered death, so that by thegrace of God He might taste death for everyone. 10For it wasproper for God, by whom and through whom everything exists,to bring many sons to glory by perfecting the Author of theirsalvation through suffering. 11Now both Jesus, who sanctifies,

and those He has sanctified, all have the same Father. That iswhy Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12saying,

“I will declare Your name to My brothers.In the midst of the congregation

I will sing praise to You.”(Psalm 22:22)

13Again,

“I will put My trust in Him.”(Isaiah 8:17



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And again,

“Here I am, and the children God has given Me.”(Isaiah 8:18)

14Since the children are flesh and blood, Jesus also becameflesh and blood, so that through His death He could abolishthe one who had the power of death—that is, the devil— 15andfree those who were slaves all their lives to the fear of death.16He did not come to help angels, but to help the descendantsof Abraham. 17So He had to become like His brothers in every

way, in order to become a merciful and faithful High Priest inthe things pertaining to God, so that He could atone for thesins of the people. 18And since He Himself suffered and wastempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

Therefore, holy brothers, since you are partakers of theheavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of

our confession, Christ Jesus. 2He was faithful to God who

appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.3But Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory thanMoses, just as the one who builds a house has more honourthan the house itself. 4For every house is built by someone,but God has built all things. 5Moses was faithful in all God’shouse as a servant, testifying about the things God wouldreveal in the future. 6But Christ is a Son over God’s house.And we are God’s house, if we hold fast to our hope until theend, speaking boldly and boasting of it.

7 Therefore, like the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear His voice,8do not harden your heartslike you did when you provoked Me inthe time of testing in the wilderness,9when your fathers tested and tried Meand saw My works for forty years.

10

Therefore I was grieved with that generation,and said, ‘Their hearts always go astray,and they do not know My ways.’

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11So I swore an oath in My wrath,‘They will not enter into My rest.’”

(Psalm 95:7-11)12Brothers, beware that you do not have an evil unbelieving

heart that causes you to depart from the living God. 13But en-courage one another daily, while it is called “Today,” so thatnone of you become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14Forwe have become partakers of Christ, if we firmly hold onto ouroriginal confidence until the end. 15As it is said:

“Today, if you hear His voice,do not harden your heartslike you did when you provoked Me.”(Psalm 95:7-8)

16Who was it, who heard God and still provoked Him? Wasit not all those who Moses led out of Egypt? 17Who was Godgrieved with for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned,whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18And who did God swear

would not enter His rest, was it not the people who disobeyed?19So we see that it was impossible for them to enter His restbecause of their unbelief.

Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands,be cautious that none of you fall short of it! 2For the gospel

was also preached to us, just as it was to them, but the wordthat was preached to them was of no profit, because those lis-

tening did not mix it with faith. 3

But since we have believed,we enter that rest. Just as God said,

“So I swore an oath in My wrath,‘They will not enter into My rest.’”(Psalm 95:11)

Nevertheless, God’s work had already been finished since thecreation of the world. 4For somewhere God spoke about the

seventh day:

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“And on the seventh day Godrested from all His works.”

(Genesis 2:2)5But in the previous passage God said,

“They will not enter into My rest.”(Psalm 95:11)

6 Therefore, God’s rest is reserved for some to enter, but thosewho formerly had the gospel preached to them did not enter

because of unbelief. 7

So God designated another day, “Today,”which He spoke about through David a long time later:

“Today, if you hear His voice,do not harden your hearts.”(Psalm 95:7-8)

8For if Joshua had given them rest, then God would nothave spoken later about another day. 9So there is a Sabbath

rest reserved for God’s people. 10

For those who have enteredGod’s rest will also rest from their own works, as God restedfrom His.

11So we must make every effort to enter into that rest, sothat no one may fall by following their example of unbelief.12For the word of God is living and active, sharper than anytwo-edged sword, penetrating deep to divide both soul andspirit, both joints and marrow, and is able to judge the

thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13

No creature is hiddenfrom God’s sight, but all things are naked and exposed beforeHis eyes, and we will have to give an account to Him.

14 Therefore, since we have a great High Priest that has goneto heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our con-fession. 15We do not have a High Priest that is unable to sym-pathize with our frailty, for He was tempted in every way weare, but He did not sin. 16So let us boldly approach the throne

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Every high priest is chosen among men and is ordained torepresent the people in the things of God, to offer both gifts

and sacrifices for their sins. 2

He is able to have compassion onthose who are ignorant and going astray, because he himself isalso subject to frailty. 3And since he is frail he must not onlyoffer sacrifices for the sins of the people, but also for his ownsins as well. 4No man can bestow this honour upon himself;instead, he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.

5Likewise, Christ did not bestow upon Himself the honourof becoming a High Priest. On the contrary, God said to Him,

“You are My Son,today I have become Your Father.”(Psalm 2:7)

6 Just as He said in another place,

“You are a Priest foreveraccording to the order of Melchizedek.”

(Psalm 110:4)7While Jesus lived on earth, He offered both prayers and

petitions with intense cries and tears to the only One whocould save Him from death, and He was heard because of Hisreverence for God. 8Although He was God’s Son, He learnedobedience through His suffering. 9After this was complete andHe was found perfect, He became the source of eternal sal-vation for all who obey Him. 10For God said that He was a High

Priest according to the order of Melchizedek. 11

We have muchto say about this Melchizedek, but it is difficult to explain be-cause your hearing has become so dull.

12Although you should have become teachers by now, youstill need someone to teach you the elementary principles of God’s word. You still need milk, not solid food! 13For everyonewho needs milk is not skilled in the word of righteousness; heis an infant. 14But solid food is for the mature, who through

practice have trained their senses to discern both good andevil.

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So let us leave the elementary principles about Christ andmove on to maturity. Not laying again the foundation of

repentance from dead works, faith in God, 2

the doctrine of baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead,and eternal judgment. 3God permitting, we will move on.

4It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened,who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have become partakersof the Holy Spirit, 5who have tasted the goodness of God’s wordand the powers of the world to come, 6to be restored back torepentance if they have fallen away, it is as if they are cruci-

fying the Son of God all over again, because they are puttingHim to public shame.

7When land soaks up the rain that frequently falls on it andproduces vegetation that is useful to the farmer, it will receivea blessing from God. 8But when land produces thorns andthistles it is worthless and will soon be cursed, and in the endit will be burned.

9

Even though we have spoken of these things, beloved, weare confident of better things for you—things that accompanysalvation. 10For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work.He will not forget how you have laboured with love for Hisname by ministering to the saints, as you still do. 11We wantevery one of you to show this same diligence, so that you willbe fully sure of your hope to the end. 12 Then you will notbecome lazy, but will imitate those who through faith andpatience have inherited the promises.

13For when God made His promise to Abraham, He had noone greater to swear by, so He swore an oath by Himself,14saying,

“I will surely bless you and bless you;I will surely increase you and increase you.”(Genesis 22:17)

15

So Abraham waited patiently until he obtained the promise.16For even men swear an oath by someone greater than them-selves, because an oath confirms what is sworn and puts anend to all disputes. 17And since God wanted to fully show the

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heirs of the promise that His purpose was unchangeable, Heconfirmed it by an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things,

in which it is impossible for God to lie, we can take greatcomfort—that is, we who have fled to take hold of the hope setbefore us.

19 This hope is an anchor for our soul, it is both secure andfirm. It enters behind the veil into the Holy of Holies, 20where aForerunner has entered on our behalf—Jesus, who has be-come a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchiz-edek.

This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of GodMost High. He met Abraham when he was returning from

slaughtering the kings and blessed him. 2Abraham divided atenth of all the spoil and gave it to Melchizedek. First, thename Melchizedek means, “King of Righteousness.” Second,king of Salem means, “King of Peace.” 3He was without fatheror mother, without genealogy, without birth or death. Like the

Son of God, he remains a priest forever.4See how great Melchizedek was, even the patriarch Abra-

ham gave him a tenth of the best spoils! 5 The descendants of Levi who receive the priest’s office are commanded according tothe law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, their broth-ers, who are also descendants of Abraham. 6But Melchizedek,whose genealogy is not traced from Levi, collected a tenth fromAbraham, and he blessed Abraham, who received the prom-

ises. 7

Without question the lesser person is blessed by thegreater. 8 Tithes are collected by priests who will die, but onaccount of Melchizedek it is declared that he lives. 9It is as if Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham.10Levi, so to speak, was in the body of his forefather whenMelchizedek met Abraham.

11If perfection could have been attained under the Leviticalpriesthood, through which the people had been given the law,

then why was there still need for another Priest to come in theorder of Melchizedek and not in the order of Aaron? 12Whenthe priesthood changes, the law must also change. 13 The One

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we are talking about belonged to another tribe that cannotserve at the altar.

14It is obvious that our Lord descended from Judah. AndMoses never mentioned anything about the tribe of Judahwhen he spoke about the priesthood. 15 This became even moreevident when another Priest like Melchizedek came, 16who didnot become a Priest according to the commandments of thelaw regarding His line of descent, but according to the power of an endless life. 17For it is declared:

“You are a Priest foreveraccording to the order of Melchizedek.”(Psalm 110:4)

18In fact, the former commandment has been cancelled be-cause it was weak and useless. 19For the law made nothingperfect, but now a better hope has been introduced by whichwe draw near to God. 20It was not without an oath that Godconfirmed Him as Priest. Others became priests without an

oath, 21

but with an oath He became a Priest when God said toHim:

“The Lord has swornand will not change His mind,‘You are a Priest foreveraccording to the order of Melchizedek.’”(Psalm 110:4)

22

And so Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.23Many have become priests, but death prevented them

from continuing. 24But He remains forever, so He has an ever-lasting Priesthood. 25 Therefore He is able to completely savethose who draw near to God through Him, because He livesforever to intercede for them.

26Such a High Priest is suitable for us, because He is holy,

innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted abovethe heavens. 27He does not need as the other high priests do,to offer sacrifices daily, first for their own sins and then for thesins of the people, because He did this once and for all when



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He offered Himself up. 28For the law appoints frail men as highpriests. But the oath that came after the law appointed the

Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Here is the main point of what we are saying: we havesuch a High Priest as this, who sat down at the right hand

of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. 2He ministers in theHoly of Holies, in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up— not man.

3

Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacri-fices, so He had to offer something also. 4If He was on earth Hecould not be a priest, because there are already priests onearth who offer the gifts required by the law. 5But they onlyserve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is inheaven. That is why Moses was warned before building thetabernacle when God said:

“See to it that you make all things

according to the pattern thatwas shown to you on the mountain.”(Exodus 25:40)

6But Jesus has obtained a far superior ministry than theirs, just as the covenant that He is Mediator of is more superior,and it is established on better promises.

7 There would not have been any need for a second covenant

if the first covenant was perfect. 8

But God found fault with thepeople and said:

“Look, the days are coming, says the Lord,when I will make a new covenantwith the house of Israeland with the house of Judah.

9Not like the covenant I made with their fatherson the day I took them by the hand

to lead them out of the land of Egypt;for they did not continue in My covenant,so I rejected them, says the Lord.

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10But this is the covenant I will make with thehouse of Israel after those days,

says the Lord:I will put My laws in their minds,and I will write them on their hearts,and I will be their God,and they will be My people.

11And no man will teach his neighbouror brother, saying, ‘know the Lord,’ because all will know Me,from the least of them to the greatest.

12

I will forgive their iniquities;their sins and transgressionsI will remember no more.”(Jeremiah 31:31-34)

13When God called this covenant “new,” He made the firstcovenant obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soondisappear.

Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and anearthly sanctuary. 2A tent with two rooms was set up. The

first room was the outer sanctuary, which is called the HolyPlace. In it was placed the lamp stand, the table, and theshowbread. 3Behind the second veil was the inner sanctuary,which is called the Holy of Holies. 4 The golden altar of incensewas in front of the veil in the outer sanctuary, but the Ark of the Covenant was behind the veil in the inner sanctuary. The

Ark of the Covenant was covered with gold. Inside it was thegolden jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and thestone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the Ark were the cheru-bim of Glory. The cherubim stretched above the Ark’s cover,which is called the mercy seat. But we cannot explain thesethings right now.

6After these things were built, the priests could regularlyenter the outer sanctuary to perform their ministry. 7But only

once a year could the high priest alone enter behind the sec-ond veil, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins that the people had committed in ignorance.8By this, the Holy Spirit was indicating that the way into the

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Holy of Holies had not yet been revealed because the first tab-ernacle was still standing. 9It was symbolic for this present

time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices offered were notable to cleanse the conscience of the worshiper, 10because theywere based on laws concerning food, drink, ceremonial wash-ing, and regulations pertaining to the body, which would lastuntil the time of reformation.

11But Christ has appeared as High Priest of the good thingsthat have come. He entered through the greater and more per-fect tabernacle, which is not made by human hands, and is

not a part of this creation. 12

He did not enter with the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Holy of Holies once andfor all with His own blood and obtained eternal redemption forus. 13For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of aheifer sprinkled on those who are defiled can only cleanse thebody. 14 Then how much more will the blood of Christ, whothrough the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God,cleanse our conscience from dead works, so that we may servethe living God? 15 That is why Christ is the Mediator of the new

covenant, because He died as a ransom for the transgressionscommitted under the first covenant, so that those who arecalled may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance.

16Where there is a will, there must be proof that the personwho wrote it is dead. 17A will does not go into effect when theman who wrote it is still alive; it only goes into effect after he isdead. 18 That is why even the first covenant was not put intoeffect without blood. 19For when Moses had spoken every com-

mandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop,and sprinkled both the scroll and all the people. 20 Then hesaid,

“This is the blood of the covenant,which God has commanded you to obey.”(Exodus 24:8)

21

He also sprinkled the tabernacle and all its vessels of servicewith blood. 22According to the law almost everything is cleans-ed by blood, and without the shedding of blood there is noforgiveness.



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23 Therefore the tabernacle and all its vessels had to becleansed with the blood of these sacrifices, because they where

copies of the things in heaven, but the things in heaven itself required a far better sacrifice. 24For Christ did not enter theHoly of Holies built by human hands, which is only a copy of the true one; on the contrary, He entered heaven itself and isthere now in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 The highpriest enters the Holy of Holies year after year with blood thatis not his own, but Christ did not offer Himself over and overagain. 26Otherwise He would have had to suffer over and overagain since the creation of the world, but instead He appeared

once at the end of the ages to cancel sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27It has been appointed for man to die once, and afterthat comes judgment. 28In the same way Christ was offeredonce to bear the sins of many, and will appear a second time,not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are eagerlyexpecting Him.

The law was a shadow of the good things to come, not

the good things themselves. So the sacrifices contin-ually offered year after year can never make those who drawnear to worship perfect. 2If that were the case, would they nothave stopped being offered, since the worshipers would haveno longer been conscience of their sins and would have beencleansed once and for all? 3Instead, these sacrifices remind themof their sins year after year, 4because it is impossible for theblood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5

That is why, when Christ came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,but You prepared a body for Me;6with burnt offerings and sin offeringsYou have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do Your will,O God, it is written about Me in thescroll of the book.’”

(Psalm 40:6-8)

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8First He said, “You did not desire or take pleasure in sac-rifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings,” which

are offered according to the law. 9

Then He said, “Look, I havecome to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first to es-tablish the second. 10For this reason, because He was obedientto God, we have been sanctified through the offering of the bodyof Jesus Christ once and for all.

11Every priest stands ministering day after day, offeringagain and again the same sacrifices that can never take awaysins. 12But this Priest offered one sacrifice for sins forever, and

then sat down at the right hand of God, 13

where He remainswaiting until His enemies have been made a footstool for Hisfeet. 14For by one offering He has perfected forever those whoare sanctified.

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this, for aftersaying,

16“This is the covenant that I will make with

them after those days, says the Lord:I will put My laws in their heartsand I will write them on their minds.”(Jeremiah 31:33)

17He then adds,

“Their sins and transgressionsI will remember no more.”

(Jeremiah 31:34)18And when these things are forgiven, there is no longer anyneed to offer sacrifices for sin.

19 Therefore, brothers, we can boldly enter the Holy of Holiesby the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way that Heopened for us through the veil, that is, His body. 21And sincewe have a great High Priest over the house of God, 22let us

draw near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, sinceour hearts have been sprinkled clean from a guilty conscienceand our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23Let ushold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for



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He who promised is faithful. 24And let us think of how we canurge one another on to love and good works. 25Do not forsake

the assembling of ourselves, as is customary for some, but en-courage one another all the more, since you see the day of Hisreturn drawing near.

26For if we willingly reject Christ after we have received theknowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for oursins, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of thefiery indignation that will consume God’s enemies. 28Anyonewho rejected the Law of Moses was put to death without mercy

by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29

How much worsedo you think a man’s punishment deserves to be if he hastrampled the Son of God under foot and has counted the bloodof the covenant, by which he was sanctified, as something un-holy, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we knowHim who said,

“Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”(Deuteronomy 32:35)

And again,

“The Lord will judge His people.”(Deuteronomy 32:36)

31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!

32But remember the former days after you had been enlight-

ened, how you endured a great struggle of suffering. 33

At times you were exposed to public insults and persecutions, at othertimes you helped those who were suffering the same things.34For you had compassion on me in my chains. You also ac-cepted the seizure of your property with joy, knowing that youhave for yourselves a better and lasting possession in heaven.35 Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which hasgreat reward. 36You need to patiently endure, so that when youhave done God’s will, you can receive what He has promised.



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37“For in just a little while,He who is coming will come

and will not delay.38But the just will live by faith,and if he shrinks back,My soul will not take pleasure in him.”(Habakkuk 2:3-4)

39But we are not like those who shrink back and are eter-nally damned, on the contrary, we are like those who believeand are saved.

Now faith is the confidence of things hoped for, theevidence of things not seen. 2For by faith the men of

old obtained a good testimony. 3By faith we understand thatthe universe was formed by God’s command—what we now seewas not made of any visible thing.

4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain. For

God spoke well of Abel’s gift and he obtained the testimony of being a righteous man, even though he is dead, his testimonystill speaks.

5By faith Enoch was translated to heaven and did not seedeath; he could not be found, because God had translatedhim. Before Enoch was translated, he obtained the testimonyof being well-pleasing to God. 6Without faith it is impossible toplease God, and those who approach God must believe that He

exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.7By faith Noah, after God warned him of things not yet

seen, moved in reverent fear to build an ark to save his family.By his faith he condemned the world, and became heir of therighteousness that comes by faith.

8By faith Abraham, when called to depart for a place hewould later receive as an inheritance, obeyed and left. He left

without knowing where he was going. 9

By faith Abraham livedin the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country. Helived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were co-heirs of the

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same promise. 10Abraham was looking forward to the city witheternal foundations, whose founder and builder is God.

11By faith Sarah was able to give birth, even though she wastoo old, because she believed that God was faithful and wouldfulfill His promise. 12From this one man, Abraham, who was asgood as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars inthe sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13All these people died believing in faith, even though theyhad not yet received the promises, they saw them from afar

and believed, embracing and confessing that they were foreign-ers and strangers on earth. 14 Those who say such things showthat they are looking for a homeland. 15If they truly missed thecountry they had left, they could have returned. 16But insteadthey longed for a better homeland, a heavenly homeland. There-fore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He hasprepared a city for them.

17By faith Abraham, when tested by God, offered Isaac as a

sacrifice. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was readyto sacrifice his only son Isaac. 18 The one whom God had spo-ken of when He said,

“Through Isaac your descendantswill carry your name.”(Genesis 21:12)

19Abraham believed that God was able to raise Isaac from the

dead, and figuratively speaking, Abraham did receive him backfrom the dead.

20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau regarding theirfuture.

21By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed Joseph’s two sons,and worshiped while leaning on the top of his staff.

22

By faith Joseph, when dying, spoke about the exodus of the sons of Israel and gave orders concerning his bones.

23By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he



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was born, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, andthey did not fear the king’s commandment.

24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to becalled the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25He chose to be mis-treated with God’s people, instead of enjoying the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He believed that suffering shame for thesake of Christ was worth more than all the treasures of Egypt,and so he kept his eyes on the reward.

27By faith Moses left Egypt without fearing the king’s anger,

and he persevered because he kept his eyes on the invisibleGod. 28By faith Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touchthem.

29By faith the Israelites crossed the Red Sea as if it were dryland, but the Egyptians that followed were drowned.

30By faith the walls of Jericho fell after being encircled for

seven days. 31

By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish withthose who were disobedient, because she received the spies inpeace.

32What more can I say? There is not enough time for me totell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Sam-uel, and the prophets. 33By faith they overthrew kingdoms,laboured in righteousness, obtained God’s promises, and shutthe mouths of lions. 34 They quenched flames of fire, escaped

death by the sword, and their weakness was turned to strength. They became mighty in war, and put foreign armies to flight.35Women had their dead raised to life again. Others were tor-tured to death, because they refused to renounce their faith inexchange for their freedom, so that they could obtain a betterresurrection.106

36Some were mocked and whipped, while others were chainedand imprisoned. 37 They were stoned, they were enticed to re-

nounce their faith, they were sawn in two, and they were putto death by the sword. They wandered around in sheepskins

106 This may refer to 2 Maccabees 7



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and goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 They wan-dered about in deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and

holes in the ground. The world was not worthy of them!39All these people obtained a good testimony on account of

their faith, but none of them received all that God had prom-ised. 40But God provided something better for us, so that onlytogether with us could they be made perfect.107

Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of wit-

nesses surrounding us, let us cast off every weight andsin that so easily entangles us, and let us patiently run therace set before us. 2Let us look to Jesus, the Author and Fin-isher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured thecross, despising its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.

3Consider Jesus, who endured such hostility from sinners,so that your hearts do not grow weary and faint. 4For you have

not yet wrestled against sin and resisted it to the point of sweating blood. 5And do not forget these encouraging wordsthat speak of you as sons:

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,or faint when He rebukes you.

6For the Lord disciplines those He loves,and He whips everyone He accepts as a son.”(Proverbs 3:11-12)

7If God disciplines you, He is dealing with you as a son, forwhat son is not disciplined by his father? 8If God does notdiscipline you as He does with all His children, then you arenot His sons, but illegitimate children! 9If our earthly fathersdisciplined us and we respected them for it, then how muchmore should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live?10Our fathers disciplined us for a short time according to what

107 But God provided better things for us, the fulfillment of thepromise: Christ, through whom the Old Testament saints andthe New Testament saints are made perfect.

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seemed good to them, but God disciplines us for our good, sothat we may share in His holiness. 11No discipline is enjoyable

at the time, because it is painful. But after we have beentrained by it, it produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness.12 Therefore,

“Lift up your tired hands that hang down,and strengthen your feeble knees.”(Isaiah 35:3)

13“Make level paths for your feet,”

(Proverbs 4:26)

so that the lame who follow do not turn aside, but insteadbecome healed.

14Pursue peace with everyone, and pursue holiness, for with-out holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no onefalls short of God’s grace and that no bitter root grows up tocause trouble, because it will defile many. 16See to it that no

one among you is a fornicator or a godless person like Esau,who sold his birthright for a single meal. 17For you know whathappened afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing,he was rejected and could not change his father’s mind, eventhough he sought the blessing with tears.

18You have not come to a tangible mountain that was setablaze and covered by darkness, gloom, and storm. 19You havenot come to a trumpet blast so awesome, and a voice so ter-

rifying, that those who heard it begged that no more words bespoken, 20because they were terrified of the command:

“If even an animal touches the mountain,it will be stoned,or shot through with arrows.”(Exodus 19:12-13)

21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said,

“I am trembling and afraid.”(Deuteronomy 9:19)







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20Now may the God of peace—who through the blood of theeternal covenant raised our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of

the sheep, from the dead— 21

prepare you for every good work,so that you can do His will. May He accomplish in you what ispleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be theglory forever and ever. Amen.

22Brothers, I urge you to listen patiently to these encour-aging words, for I have only written you a short letter. 23Youshould be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon, we will both come to see you.

24Greet all your leaders and all the saints. The saints fromItaly send you their greetings.

25Grace be with you all! Amen.



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James

From: James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes scattered abroad:

Greetings!

2My brothers, count it all joy when you are surrounded byvarious trials, 3because you know that the testing of your faith

produces patience. 4

But you must let patience finish its workso that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who boun-tifully gives to all without rebuke, and it will be given to him.6But he must ask in faith without doubting, because thosewho doubt are like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossedby the wind. 7Such a man should not expect to receive any-thing from the Lord, 8because he is double-minded and unsta-ble in all his ways.

9Let the poor brother boast about his high position. 10Butlet the rich brother boast about his low position, because hewill perish like the flowers of the field. 11For the sun rises withscorching heat and dries up the grass; the flowers fall off andtheir beauty and appearance perish. In the same way, the richman will fade away in his endeavours.

12Blessed is the man who perseveres through temptation!

For when he is tested and approved, he will receive the crownof life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 13Noone who is being tempted should say, “I am being tempted byGod.” God cannot be tempted by evil, and He does not temptanyone. 14But each man is tempted by his own lusts, whichentrap and entice him. 15When lust becomes pregnant, it givesbirth to sin. And when sin is fully grown, it gives birth todeath.

16

Do not be led astray, my beloved brothers. 17

Every goodand perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18By His will

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He has given birth to us through the word of truth, so that wewould be a kind of firstfruits of all He created.

19So then, my beloved brothers, let every man be quick tohear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20because a man’sanger does not produce God’s righteousness.

21 Therefore cast off all filthiness and evil and humbly acceptthe word planted in you, for it is able to save your souls.

22Do not be only hearers of the word, and so deceive your-

selves, but also be doers of the word. 23

For if a man is only ahearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looksat his own face in a mirror, 24and after looking at himself heleaves and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But theman who has closely looked at the perfect law, the law of lib-erty, and continues in it, has not become a forgetful hearer,but a doer of what it says, and he will be blessed in what hedoes.

26

If anyone among you thinks he is religious but does notbridle his tongue, he deceives his own heart and his religion isworthless. 27Pure and undefiled religion before God the Fatheris this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and tokeep oneself unstained by the world.

My brothers, concerning your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favouritism. 2Now suppose a

man comes into your synagogue wearing a gold ring and fineclothing, and a beggar also comes in wearing shabby clothing,3and you look at the man wearing fine clothing and say to him,“You sit over here in a good place,” and you say to the beggar,“You stand over there,” or “Sit here at my feet.” 4Have you notdiscriminated among yourselves and become judges with evilmotives?

5Listen, my beloved brothers: has not God chosen the poor

of this world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdomthat He promised to those who love Him? 6But you have de-spised the poor! Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag

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“Abraham believed God,and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

(Genesis 15:6)

And so he was called God’s friend.109 24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

25Likewise, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified byworks when she hid the spies and sent them off by anotherway?

26

For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faithwithout works is dead.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, be-cause you know that we will be judged more strictly. 2For

we all stumble in many ways. If a man does not stumble inwhat he says, he is a mature man who is also able to bridle hiswhole body. 3Look, we put bits into the mouths of horses so

that they will obey us, with it we can steer their whole body.4Look at ships, although they are large and are driven bystrong winds, the pilot steers the ship wherever he wishesusing only a small rudder. 5In the same way, the tongue isonly a small part of the body, yet it boasts of great things.

Look at how a small fire can ignite a whole forest! 6 Thetongue is also a fire, a world of iniquity among the parts of thebody. It defiles the whole body, sets the course of our life on

fire, and is ignited by hell. 7

For every kind of animal, bird, rep-tile, and sea creature can be tamed or has been tamed bymankind, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unre-strainable evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Godand Father, and with it we curse men who have been made inthe image of God. 10From the same mouth comes both blessingand cursing. My brothers, this should not be! 11Does a springpour out both sweet and bitter water from the same hole? 12Mybrothers, can a fig tree produce olives? Or a grapevine, figs?

Neither can a salt spring produce sweet water.

109 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8

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13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him showit by his good behaviour, by works done in the meekness of

wisdom. 14

But if you have bitter feelings of envy and self am-bition in your hearts do not boast of your wisdom, because youwill be lying against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not comefrom above, but is worldly, unspiritual, and demonic. 16Forwhere there is envy and self ambition, there will be disorderand every kind of evil work. 17But the wisdom from above isfirst pure, then peaceable, gentle, submissive, full of mercyand good fruits, impartial, and sincere. 18And the fruits of righteousness are sown in peace by those who make peace.

What is the cause of the fights and quarrels among you? Isit not your lustful desires that battle within your bodies?

2You set your heart on what you do not have, so you murderand covet. You cannot obtain what you want, so you quarreland fight. You do not have what you want, because you do notask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask with evilmotives, because you want to spend what you get on your

lustful desires. 4

You adulterers and adulteresses! Do you notknow that friendship with the world is hatred towards God?Whoever chooses to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God. 5Do you think the Scriptures speak in vain when they tellus about the intense jealously of the Spirit that lives in us?

6But the grace that God gives to us is greater, which is whyit says:

“God opposes the proud,but gives grace to the humble.”(Proverbs 3:34)

7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will fleefrom you. 8Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.Cleanse your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts youdouble-minded. 9Realize your own misery, and mourn and weep.Let your laughter turn to mourning, and your joy to sadness.10

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

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11Do not slander one another, brothers. Whoever slandersor judges his brother, slanders and judges the royal law. And if

you judge the law you are no longer a doer of the law, but a judge of it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge who is ableto save and destroy. But who are you to be judging others?

13 Those who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this cityfor one year to trade and make a profit,” come now, 14 you donot even know what will happen tomorrow. For what is yourlife? It is just a mist that appears briefly and then vanishes.15Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and we

will do this or that.” 16

But, as it is, you boast in your self-confidence. All such boasting is evil.

17Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not doit—sins.

Come now, you rich people, weep and howl over the mis-eries about to come upon you. 2Your riches have rotted

and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3

Your gold andsilver have corroded, and their corrosion will be a testimonyagainst you, and will devour your flesh like fire. You haveheaped up treasure in the last days! 4Look! The wages youhave fraudulently kept back from the workers who harvested

your fields is crying out against you, and the outcry of the har-vesters has reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts. 5You havelived on earth in luxury and pleasure. You have fattened yourhearts for the day of slaughter. 6You have condemned and

murdered the righteous, who did not oppose you.7 Therefore, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord.

Just as farmers wait for their precious crops to grow, waitingpatiently for them until they receive the autumn and springrains, 8so must you be patient too. Your hearts must be stead-fast, because the coming of the Lord is near.

9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, or you will

be condemned. Look! The Judge stands at the door! 10

Brothers,for an example of suffering and patience take the prophets,who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11As you know, we callthose who have endured: blessed. You have heard of Job’s

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patience, and saw what the Lord did for him in the end. TheLord is compassionate and merciful.

12Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or byearth or by anything else. But let your “Yes” be yes, and your“No” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

13Is anyone among you suffering hardship? Let him pray. Isanyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms of praise. 14Is anyonesick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church topray over him, and to anoint him with oil in the name of the

Lord. 15

And the prayer offered in faith will heal the one who issick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committedany sins, he will be forgiven. 16Confess your sins to oneanother, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.17When Elijah, a man like us, prayed earnestly that it wouldnot rain, it did not rain on the ground for three and a half

years. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, andthe ground produced its crops.

19Brothers, if anyone among you strays from the truth, andsomeone turns him back, 20know this: whoever turns a sinnerback from the error of his way will save his soul from death,and will cover up a multitude of sins.



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1 Peter

From: Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ. To those living asforeigners throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia,

Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2who have been chosen ac-cording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through thesanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprin-kled by the blood of Jesus Christ:

May grace and peace abound to you!

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Itis because of His great mercy that we have been born againinto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christfrom the dead, 4and into an inheritance that will not decaybecause it is pure and unfading and is kept in heaven for you.

5For through faith God’s power protects you, until this sal-

vation is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6

And you greatlyrejoice in this, even though it is necessary for you to be grievedfor a little while by various trails. 7 These trials test your faith— which is much more precious than gold, which perishes eventhough it is tested by fire—so that your faith will prove worthyof praise, honour, and glory when Jesus Christ appears.8Although you have not seen Him, you love Him. Although youhave not seen Him, you believe in Him. And so you rejoice with

joy unspeakable and full of glory, 9because you are receiving

the goal of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

10 This salvation was pondered and searched out by theprophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you.11 They searched for the time and circumstances to which theSpirit of Christ within them was declaring when He testifiedbeforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that wouldfollow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not servingthemselves, but you, when they prophesied of these things.

And these things have now been announced to you by thosewho have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit, who

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was sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into thesethings!

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be sober-minded,and set your hope completely on the grace that will be given to

you when Jesus Christ appears. 14As obedient children, do notconform to the former lusts you had when you were ignorant.15But just as He who called you is holy, be holy in all yourbehaviour. 16For it is written:

“Be holy, for I am holy.”

(Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7)17If you call on the Father, who without partiality judges

each man according to his own works, then spend your timeas foreigners on earth in reverent fear. 18For you know that

you were not redeemed from the worthless behaviour handeddown to you by your forefathers, with perishable things likesilver or gold. 19But you were redeemed with the precious bloodof Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. 20For this purpose

He was chosen before the creation of the world, and has beenrevealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through Christ you believed in God, who raised Him from the dead and gaveHim glory, so now your faith and hope are in God.

22Since your souls have been purified by obeying the truththrough the Spirit and has produced in you a sincere brotherlylove, fervently love one another with a pure heart. 23For youhave been born again, not by perishable seed, but by imper-

ishable seed, through the word of God that lives and enduresforever. 24For,

“All flesh is like grass,and all the glory of man is likethe flowers of the field.

The grass withers and the flowers fall off,25but the word of the Lord remains forever.”(Isaiah 40:6-8)

And this word is the gospel that was preached to you.



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Therefore cast off all hatred, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, andslander. 2Desire the pure milk of the word, like newborn

babies, so that by it you may grow in your salvation, 3

because you have tasted that the Lord is good.

4So draw near to Him, the Living Stone, who was rejected bymen but chosen by God and precious to Him. 5You also, likeliving stones, are being built into a spiritual house and a holypriesthood that offers spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable toGod through Jesus Christ. 6As the Scripture says:

“Look! I lay a Stone in Zion,a chosen and precious Cornerstone,and those who believe in Himwill not be ashamed.”(Isaiah 28:16)

7He is precious to those who believe, but to those whodisbelieve,

“The Stone that the builders rejectedhas become the Cornerstone,”(Psalm 118:22)

8and,

“A Stone of stumblingand a Rock of offense.”(Isaiah 8:14)

They disobey the word, and so they stumble just as Godappointed.

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holynation, an acquired people, chosen to proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people.Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received

mercy.11Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers in this

world, to abstain from the fleshly lusts that war against the

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soul. 12Live in good behaviour among the pagans, so that if they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good works

and glorify God in the day of visitation.13For the Lord’s sake, submit to every authority established

among men: whether to the king who is ruler, 14or to hisgovernors, who are sent by him to punish those who do eviland to praise those who do good. 15For it is God’s will that bydoing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16Asfree men do not use your freedom as an excuse for doing evil,because you are God’s slaves. 17Honour everyone, love the

brotherhood of believers, revere God, and honour the king.18Slaves, submit to your masters with all respect. Do not

submit only to those who are good and gentle, but also tothose who are unjust. 19For it is acceptable to God if a personendures grief and unjust suffering because they are conscienceof Him. 20For what glory is there if you sin and patientlyendure your punishment? But if you do good and patientlyendure suffering, this is acceptable to God. 21You were called

for this purpose, because Christ suffered for you. He left youan example, so that you could follow in His footsteps:

22“He committed no sin,neither was any deceit found in His mouth.”(Isaiah 53:9)

23When insulted He did not insult back, when suffering Hemade no threats, but gave Himself to the One who judges

justly. 24

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, sothat we might die to sin and live in righteousness.

“By His stripes you were healed.”(Isaiah 53:5)

25For you were like sheep gone astray, but now you haveturned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Wives, in the same way, submit to your husbands. Then, if they do not believe the word, it may be possible to win them

over without words but by your behaviour. 2For they will see3



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your pure and reverent lives. 3Your adornment must not beonly outward, such as braided hair, gold jewellery, or fine

clothes. 4

But let the inner man of your heart be adorned withthe imperishable beauty of a meek and quiet spirit, which is of great value in God’s sight. 5For this is how the holy women of the past, who hoped in God, adorned themselves. They sub-mitted to their husbands. 6 Just as Sarah obeyed Abraham,and called him lord. You have become her daughters if you dowhat is good without being overcome by fear.

7Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives with un-

derstanding, though they are the weaker vessel, honour themas fellow-heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayerswill not be hindered.

8Finally, you should all be like-minded and compassionate.You should love each other as brothers, always being tender-hearted and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult withinsult, but with blessing, because you know that you werecalled to do this, so that you might inherit a blessing. 10For,

“The man who desires to live a longand prosperous life must keephis tongue from eviland his lips from speaking deceit.

11He must turn from evil and do good;he must seek peace and pursue it.

12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,and His ears are open to their petitions,

but the face of the Lordis against those who do evil.”(Psalm 34:12-16)

13Who will harm you if you imitate and follow what is good?14But even if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you areblessed.

“Do not fear what they fear or be troubled.”

(Isaiah 8:12)15But set apart God as Lord of your hearts, and always beready to give an answer to everyone who asks about your hope,



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answering with meekness and respect. 16Do this with a goodconscience, so that those who slander you as evildoers may be

ashamed, because they have falsely accused you of your goodChristian behaviour. 17It is better to suffer for doing good, if itis God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.

18Christ Himself suffered for sins once and for all, the justfor the unjust, so that He could bring us to God. He was put todeath in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit. 19By the SpiritHe went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20tothose who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in

Noah’s day during the building of the ark. In it only a few,eight souls, were saved by means of water. 21 This is symbolicof what also saves us now: baptism. It is not a baptism thatwashes dirt from the body, but a baptism by which we professGod with a clear conscience. This baptism is only possiblebecause of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has goneinto heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels,authorities, and powers subject to Him.

Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, youmust also arm yourselves with the same attitude. Those

who suffer in the flesh have ceased from sinning. 2 They nolonger spend the rest of their time living in the flesh and fol-lowing the lusts of men, but instead they follow God’s will.

3For you spent enough time in the past living like thepagans, indulging in sensuality, lust, drunkenness, partying,

drinking-bouts, and detestable idolatries. 4

They think it isstrange that you do not indulge with them in their immorality,so they slander you. 5But they will have to give an account toGod, who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 That iswhy the gospel was preached to those who are now dead, sothat even though they would be judged in the flesh accordingto men, they might live in the Spirit according to God.

7 The end of all things is near. So be sober-minded, always

watching and praying.8

Above all things love one another deeply,because love covers up a multitude of sins. 9Be hospitable toone another without complaining. 10Whatever gift you have re-ceived, use it to minister to one another as good stewards of

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the manifold grace of God. 11Whoever speaks, should speakGod’s words. Whoever serves, should serve with the strength

God gives, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To God be the glory and dominion forever andever. Amen.

12Do not be astonished at the fiery trails that have come totest you, beloved, as if something strange were happening to

you. 13But rejoice that you share in the sufferings of Christ, sothat you may be full of joy when His glory is revealed. 14If youare insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed!

For the Spirit of glory, God’s Spirit, rests upon you! Truly, theyblaspheme Christ, but you glorify Him. 15Do not suffer as amurderer, thief, criminal, or meddler. 16But if you suffer as aChristian, do not be ashamed, but for this reason glorify God.

17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God.And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for thosewho disobey the gospel of God? 18And,

“If it is difficult for the righteous to be saved,then what will happen to theungodly and sinner?”(Proverbs 11:31)

19 Therefore, those who suffer according to God’s will shouldcommit their souls to their faithful Creator and should contin-ue doing what is good.

I beg the elders among you, as a fellow-elder and witnessof Christ’s sufferings, and as a partaker of the glory to be

revealed: 2shepherd God’s flock that is among you. Watch overit not because you have to, but because you want to. Do not doit for the sake of filthy lucre, but do it because you are willing.3Do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be an exampleto the flock. 4 Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you willreceive a crown of glory that will never fade away.

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5Likewise, young people, obey your elders. All of you mustsubmit to one another and clothe yourselves with humility.

For,

“God opposes the proud,but gives grace to the humble.”(Proverbs 3:34)

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,so that He may exalt you in due time, 7casting all your careson Him, because Him cares for you!

8Be sober-minded and vigilant! Your adversary, the devil,prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.9Resist him, being firm in the faith, because you know that

your brothers throughout the world are suffering the samethings. 10After you have suffered for a little while, the God of allgrace, who has called us into His eternal glory in Christ Jesus,will Himself perfect, establish, strengthen, and make you firm.11 To Him be the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, has helped meto write this short letter to you, encouraging you and testifyingthat this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!

13Your fellow Christians in Babylon send you greetings, andso does Mark, my son in Christ.

14Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you

who are in Christ Jesus! Amen.



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2 Peter

From: Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. Tothose who have obtained a faith as precious as ours

through the righteousness of our God and Saviour, JesusChrist:

2May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowl-edge of God and of Jesus our Lord!

3His divine power has given us everything pertaining to lifeand godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us byHis own glory and virtue. 4And because of His glory and virtueHe has given us His great and precious promises, so that bythem you may become partakers of the divine nature and es-cape the world’s corruption that is caused by lust.

5For this very reason, give all diligence to add virtue to your

faith; to virtue, knowledge; 6

to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; 7to godliness,brotherly love; and to brotherly love, unconditional love. 8If youpossess these qualities in abundance, you will not be inactiveor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9But if

you lack these qualities you are blind, you are short-sightedand have forgotten that you have been cleansed from your pastsins.

10

Therefore, brothers, be diligent to make your calling andelection sure. For if you do these things, you will never fallaway, 11and an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lordand Saviour Jesus Christ will be abundantly provided for you.

12 Therefore, I cannot neglect to continually remind you of these things, although you already know them and have beenfirmly established in the truth you now have. 13I think it isright, as long as I live in the tent of this body, to stir you up by

reminding you of these things. 14

For I know that I will soon layaside the tent of this body, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made

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clear to me. 15 Therefore I will diligently remind you of thesethings, so that after my death you will always remember them.

16We did not make up clever stories when we told you aboutthe power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the con-trary, we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17For He receivedhonour and glory from God the Father when the voice from theMajestic Glory spoke to Him, saying, “This is My beloved Son,in whom I am well-pleased.” 18We ourselves heard this voicefrom heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19

Therefore, we have the prophetic word reaffirmed! And youwill do well to pay attention to it, like a lamp shining in a darkplace, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in yourhearts. 20First of all, you must understand that no prophecy inScripture came from the prophet’s own interpretation. 21For noprophecy ever came from the will of man. Instead, holy menspoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

But there were also false prophets among the people, justas there will be false teachers among you. They will se-cretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Masterwho bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.2Many will follow their destructive ways, and the way of thetruth will be maligned because of them. 3In their greed theywill exploit you with deceptive words. But the judgment de-creed against them from long ago is not idle, and their de-struction is not asleep.

4For if God did not spare the angels that sinned, but castthem down into hell, and confined them with chains of dark-ness to detain them for judgment, 5and if the ancient worldwas not spared—except for eight people, including Noah, whowas a preacher of righteousness—when God brought a floodupon the world of the ungodly, 6and if God overthrew and con-demned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by turning theminto ashes, as a warning to those who would live ungodly lives

in the future, 7

and if God delivered righteous Lot, who wasoppressed by the lustful behaviour of the wicked— 8though hewas a righteous man his righteous soul was tormented, be-

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cause he lived among them day after day, seeing and hearingtheir lawless deeds— 9then the Lord knows how to rescue the

godly from trials and how to detain the unrighteous underpunishment until the day of judgment. 10 This punishment isespecially for those who walk after the flesh and its uncleanlusts, and for those who despise authority. These false teach-ers are daring and arrogant, and are not even afraid to slanderangelic beings. 11 Though angels, who are greater in strengthand power, do not even bring slanderous accusations againstthem before the Lord.

12

But these false teachers speak slanderously about thingsthey do not understand. They are like irrational animals, crea-tures of instinct, born only to be captured and destroyed. Intheir corruption they will utterly perish. 13 They are about toreceive the reward of unrighteousness. They count it pleas-urable to indulge in sensual pleasures in the daytime. They arestains and blemishes, who indulge in deceit while feasting with

you. 14 Their eyes are full of adultery. They cannot stop sinning. They entice unstable souls, and have trained their hearts to be

greedy. They are accursed children! 15

They have forsaken thestraight path and have gone astray. They have followed theway of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of un-righteousness. 16But Balaam was rebuked for his own trans-gression by a voiceless donkey that spoke with a man’s voiceand restrained the prophet’s madness. 17 These false teachersare springs without water, clouds carried by storm, for whomthe blackest darkness is reserved forever.

18

They speak arrogant words that are worthless, using thelustful desires of the flesh to entice those who have almostescaped from the influences of those living in error. 19 Theypromise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of cor-ruption; for a man is a slave to whatever defeats him. 20For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world by knowingour Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled byit and defeated, they will become even worse in the end thanthey were in the beginning. 21It would have been better if they

had never known the way of righteousness, than to haveknown it and turned away from the holy commandment thatwas committed to them. 22 This is a true proverb concerningthem:



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“A dog returns to its own vomit.”(Proverbs 26:11)

Yes, “A sow that is washed goes back to wallowing in the mud!”

Beloved, this is now the second letter I have written to you.In both letters I have tried to stir up your pure minds by

reminding you of these things, 2so that you will remember thewords that were spoken in the past by the holy prophets andwill remember the commandments that the Lord and Saviour

gave to us—the apostles.3First of all, you must know that mockers will come in the

last days who will walk after their own lusts. 4 They will say,“Where is the promise of His coming? Our fathers have diedand everything remains the same, just as it has since the be-ginning of creation.” 5But they choose to ignore this fact: thatby the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earthwas formed out of water and by water, 6which also destroyed

the world at that time by a great flood of water. 7

By the sameword the present heavens and earth have been reserved forfire, being kept until the day of judgment when ungodly menwill be destroyed.

8Beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing: that one dayto the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years islike one day. 9 The Lord is not slow in fulfilling His promise, assome people count slowness. Instead, He is patient with us.

Not wanting any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night,

the heavens will perish with a great noise, the elements will bedestroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its entire workswill be burned up. 11Since all these things will be destroyed,should you not behave in a holy and godly manner, 12as youanticipate and accelerate the coming of the day of God? For inthat day the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and the ele-

ments will melt with intense heat. 13

But we are anticipatingGod’s promise of a new heaven and a new earth, where right-eousness dwells.

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14 Therefore, beloved, since you are anticipating these things,be diligent, so that He will find you in peace without spot and

blemish.15

Remember that our Lord’s patience means salvation.Our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you about this with thewisdom that God has given to him. 16Paul speaks about thesethings in all of his letters. Some things he writes about are diffi-cult to understand, which ignorant and unstable men pervert,as they do the remaining Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17Beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware that youare not led astray by the error of wicked men and fall from

your stability. 18

But grow in the grace and knowledge of ourLord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory both now and forever! Amen.



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1 John

He is the Word of Life!He existed from the beginning.

We have heard Him speak,and we have seen Him with our own eyes.

We have looked upon Him,and our hands have touched Him.

2

He was with the Father,and He appeared to us.Life appeared,

and we have seen Him.We testify of Him,

and declare His eternal life to you.

3We declare to you what we have seen and heard,so that you can also have fellowship with us.

And our fellowship is with the Father,and with His Son Jesus Christ.4We write these things to you,

so that your joy may be full.

5 This is the message that we have heard from Him and de-clare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him atall. 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in thedarkness, we lie and do not follow the truth. 7But if we walk in

the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one an-other, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us fromall sin.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and thetruth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and

just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unright-eousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Himout to be a liar, and His word is not in us.

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My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an Advocate

with the Father: Jesus Christ, the righteous One. 2

He is theatoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for our sins, butalso for the sins of the whole world.

3We know that we have come to know Christ if we keep Hiscommandments. 4Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does notkeep His commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.5But whoever keeps His word, God’s love has truly been per-fected in him. This is how we know that we are in Christ:6

whoever says that he abides in Christ must also walk as Hewalked.

7Beloved, I am not writing you a new commandment, but anold commandment that you have had from the beginning. Thisold commandment is the message that you have already heard.8On the other hand, I am writing you a new commandment, itstruth is seen in Christ and in you, because the darkness isdeparting and the true light is already shining.

9Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is stillin the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother abides in the light,and there is nothing in him that will cause him to stumble.11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walksaround in the darkness. He cannot see where he is going, be-cause the darkness has blinded his eyes.

12Little children, I am writing to you because your sins have

been forgiven on account of His name.13Fathers, I am writing to you because you know Him who

existed from the beginning.

Young men, I am writing to you because you have overcomethe evil one.

Little children, I am writing to you because you know the

Father.14Fathers, I am writing to you because you know Him who

existed from the beginning.

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Young men, I am writing to you because you are strong,and because the word of God abides in you, and you have

overcome the evil one.15Do not love the world, or the things in the world. If anyone

loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For allthat is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world.17 The world is passing away along with its lusts, but those whodo God’s will live forever.

18

Little children, it is the last hour. You have heard that theantichrist is coming, and even now there are many antichrists. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. 19 They departedfrom us, but they did not belong to us. If they had belonged tous, they would have stayed with us. For when they departed, itwas apparent they did not belong to us.

20But you have received an anointing from the Holy One,and you know all things concerning the truth. 21I am not writ-

ing to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie comes from the truth.

22Who is a liar? Is it not the man who denies that Jesus isthe Christ? The man who denies the Father and the Son is anantichrist. 23Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father.Whoever confesses the Son also has the Father.

24Let what you have heard from the beginning abide in you.

If what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, youwill abide in the Son and in the Father. 25And this is the prom-ise that He promised: eternal life.

26I am writing these things to you concerning those who areleading you astray. 27As for you, the anointing that you re-ceived from Christ abides in you. You do not need anyone toteach you concerning the truth, because His anointing teaches

you about all things. The Holy Spirit teaches the truth and

does not lie. So live in Christ as the Holy Spirit has taught you.28Now, little children, abide in Him. Then, when He appears,we can be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.



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29If you know that He is righteous, then you know that every-one who does what is righteous is born of Him.

See what kind of love the Father has bestowed on us: weare called God’s children! The reason why the world does

not know us is because it did not know Him. 2Beloved, eventhough we are now God’s children, it has not yet been revealedwhat we will be like when Christ appears. But we know thatwhen He appears we will be like Him, because we will see Himas He is. 3Whoever has this hope in Christ purifies himself,

just as Christ is pure.4Whoever abides in sin is violating God’s law, for sin is the

violation of the law of God. 5But you know that He appeared totake away our sins, and there is no sin in Him. 6Whoeverabides in Him does not continue to sin. Whoever continues tosin has not seen Him or known Him.

7Little children, let no man lead you astray. Whoever abides

in righteousness is righteous, just as Christ is righteous.8Whoever abides in sin is of the devil, because the devil hasbeen sinning from the beginning. But the Son of God appearedin order to destroy the devil’s work. 9Whoever has been born of God does not abide in sin, because God’s seed abides in them.

They cannot abide in sin, because they are born of God.

10 This is how God’s children and the devil’s children areknown: whoever does not abide in righteousness or does not

love his brother does not belong to God. 11

The message youheard from the beginning is this: we must love one another.12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killedhis brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were eviland his brother’s were righteous.

13My brothers, do not be surprised if the world hates you.14We know that we have passed from death to life, because welove our Christian brothers. Whoever does not love his brother

abides in death. 15

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer,and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding inhim.

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16 This is how we know what love is: Christ laid down His lifefor us. And we should also lay down our lives for our brothers.17

Whoever has worldly possessions and sees a brother in needbut has no compassion in his heart for him, how can God’slove abide in him?

18My little children, we must not only love one another withwords or language, but also with actions and truth. 19By thiswe will know that we belong to the truth, and our hearts willbe confident before Him. 20But even if our hearts condemn us,God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things. 21If

our hearts do not condemn us, beloved, we have confidencebefore God. 22And we will receive from Him whatever we ask,because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasingin His sight. 23 This is His commandment: to believe in thename of His Son Jesus Christ, and to love one another as Hecommanded us.

24Whoever keeps God’s commandments abides in God, andGod abides in him. We know that He abides in us, because He

has given us His Spirit.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test every spirit tosee whether they are from God, because many false proph-

ets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you know theyhave the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that JesusChrist has come in the flesh is from God. 3And every spirit thatdoes not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not

from God, but is from the spirit of antichrist. You have heardthat the antichrist is coming, but the spirit of antichrist is nowalready at work in the world.

4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them.For greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.5 These false prophets and teachers are from the world.

Therefore they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the worldlistens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God

listens to us, but whoever is not from God does not listen tous. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of truth or thespirit of error.

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7Let us love one another, beloved, because love comes fromGod. Whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God islove. 9God revealed His love to us by sending His one and onlySon into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 This islove: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent HisSon to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, if Godloved us this way, we must also love one another.

12No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, Godabides in us and His love is perfected in us. 13We know that we

abide in Him and that He abides in us, because He has givenus His Spirit. 14We have seen and testify that the Father hassent His Son to be the Saviour of the World. 15Whoever con-fesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and heabides in God. 16And we have come to know and have believedthe love that God has for us.

God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, andGod abides in him. 17In this way love is perfected in us, so that

we can be confident on the day of judgment, because we arelike Him in this world. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfectlove casts out fear, because fear is associated with punish-ment. Those who fear have not been perfected in love. 19Welove Him, because He first loved us.

20Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates his brother is a liar.Whoever does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannotlove God whom he has not seen. 21For God has given us this

commandment: whoever loves God must also love his bother.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God,and whoever loves the Father will also love His children.

2We know that we love God’s children by loving God and keep-ing His commandments. 3 This is how we love God: we keep Hiscommandments. His commandments are not a burden, 4be-cause those who are born of God overcome the world. This is

the victory that has overcome the world: our faith. 5

Who over-comes the world: those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God?

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6 Jesus Christ came by water110 and blood; not only bywater, but by water and blood. And the Spirit testifies of this,

because the Spirit is the truth. 7

There are three that testify inheaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and thesethree are one. 8And there are three that testify on earth: theSpirit, the water, and the blood; and these three are in agree-ment.111

9If we accept man’s testimony, then we must accept God’stestimony because it is greater. And God’s testimony is of HisSon. 10Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony

in his heart. But whoever does not believe God has made Himout to be a liar, because he does not believe the testimony thatGod has given about His Son. 11And this is God’s testimony:God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.12 Those who have the Son have life. And those who do not havethe Son of God do not have life. 13I am writing these things to

you who believe in the name of God’s Son, so that you mayknow that you have eternal life, and so that you may continuebelieving in the name of God’s Son.

14 This is the confidence that we have in God’s presence: if we ask for anything that is according to His will, He hears us.15And if we know that He hears us when we ask, we know thatHe will give us what we ask for.

110 Jesus came to suffer and die on the cross (water, repre-senting a type of baptism) and to shed His blood for the sins of

all mankind (Luke 12:50; Mark 10:38; Matthew 20:22-23).

1 John 5:6: Jesus Christ came to suffer and die on the crossand to shed His blood for the sins of all mankind; He came notonly to suffer and die, but He came to suffer and die on thecross and to shed His blood for the sins of all humanity. Andthe Spirit testifies of this, because the Spirit is the truth.

111 There are three that testify of this in heaven: the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. Andthere are three that testify of this on earth: the Spirit, Christ’ssuffering and death, and the blood that He shed on the cross;and these three are in agreement.



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16If anyone sees his brother committing a sin that is not theunpardonable sin, he should pray and God will give him life—

that is, unless he has committed the unpardonable sin. Thereis an unpardonable sin, but I am not asking you to pray insuch a circumstance. 17All unrighteousness is sin, but there isa sin that is unpardonable.112

18We know that everyone who is born of God does not sin,for the One who is born of God guards him, and the evil onecannot touch him.

19

We know that we belong to God, and that the whole worldis under the control of the evil one.

20We also know that the Son of God has come and has givenus understanding, so that we may know Him who is true. Andwe are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is thetrue God, and He is eternal life.

21Little children, keep yourselves from idols! Amen.

112 The unpardonable sin is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit(Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:29).



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2 John

1From: The elder

To: The chosen lady and her children, whom I love in thetruth—and not only I, but everyone who knows the truth. 2Welove you because of the truth that abides in us, which will bewith us forever.

3

May grace, mercy, and peace be with you from God theFather and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, intruth and love.

4I rejoiced greatly when I found out your children werewalking in the truth, just as the Father has commanded. 5Andnow, dear lady, I am not writing you a new commandment buta commandment that we have had from the beginning: that welove one another. 6And this is love: to walk according to God’s

commandments. Since you have heard this commandment fromthe beginning, walk in love.

7Many deceivers have gone out into the world. They do notacknowledge that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. They aredeceivers and antichrists. 8Beware that you do not lose whatwe have worked for, so that you may receive your full reward.

9Whoever deviates from Christ’s teaching and does not abide

in it, does not have God. But whoever abides in Christ’s teach-ing has both the Father and the Son. 10If anyone comes to youand does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into yourhouse or even greet him. 11Whoever greets him shares in hisevil works.

12I have many things to write, but I do not want to usepaper and ink. I hope instead to come to you, and speak faceto face, so that our joy may be full.

13 The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen.



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3 John

1From: The elder

To: The beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.

2Beloved, I pray that you are in good health and are prosper-ing in all things, just as your soul prospers. 3I rejoiced greatlywhen the brothers came and testified of the truth that is in

you, and of your walk in the truth. 4

I have no greater joy thanto hear that my children are walking in the truth.

5Beloved, you are faithful in the work you are doing for thebrothers, even though they are strangers to you. 6 They havetestified of your love before the church. You will do well to sendthem on their journey in a manner worthy of God. 7For onbehalf of His name they went out, taking nothing from theGentiles. 8We should support such men, so that we may be

fellow-workers for the truth.

9I wrote to the church but Diotrephes, who loves to be first,will not recognize our authority. 10So if I come, I will point outwhat he is doing. Not only does he gossip maliciously aboutus, but he does not receive the brothers either. Instead, hetries to prevent those who are willing to receive the brothers byexpelling them from the church. 11Beloved, do not imitate whatis evil, but what is good. Whoever does what is good is from

God. But whoever does what is evil has not seen God.12Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, andby the truth itself. We also testify of this, and you know thatour testimony is true.

13I have many things to write, but I do not want to use penand ink. 14I hope instead to see you soon, and speak face toface with you.

Peace be with you! Your friends here greet you. Greet ourfriends there by name.



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Jude

1From: Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.

To those who have been called, who have been sanctified byGod the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:

2May mercy, peace, and love abound to you!

3

Beloved, although I was eager to write to you about the sal-vation we share, I found it necessary to write and urge you tocontend for the faith that was once and for all entrusted to thesaints. 4For certain men have crept in unnoticed. Their con-demnation was previously written about long ago. They are un-godly men who have perverted the grace of our God in order toexcuse their immorality. They also deny our only Master andLord, Jesus Christ.

5

Though you already know this, I want to remind you again:although the Lord saved His people out of the land of Egypt,He ended up destroying those who did not believe. 6Even theangels who did not keep their rank, but left their own hab-itation, He has kept in darkness with everlasting chains for

judgment on the great day. 7Similarly, Sodom and Gomorrahand its surrounding cities gave themselves over to fornicationand went after strange flesh. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

8In a similar way, these dreamers defile their flesh and de-spise authority. They even slander angelic beings. 9But eventhe archangel Michael—when he contended with the devil andargued about the body of Moses—did not dare to bring a slan-derous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke

you!” 10 These men speak evil of things they do not understand.Like animals without reason, they are destroyed by their nat-ural instinct. 11Woe to them! They have gone the way of Cain,

for profit they have greedily ran into the error of Balaam, andthey will perish like Korah did in his rebellion.



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12 These men are in your love feasts. They are like dangerousrocks hidden in the sea. They feast among you without fear.

They are shepherds who only feed themselves. They are likewaterless clouds carried off by the wind. They are like leaflesstrees that do not produce fruit, which have been uprooted— twice dead. 13 They are like wild waves of the sea, which foamup their own shame. They are like wandering stars, for whomthe blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

14Even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied aboutthem, saying, “Look! The Lord comes with thousands upon

thousands of His holy ones, 15

to execute judgment on all andto convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly works that theyhave committed in wickedness, and of all the harsh things thatungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

16 These men are grumblers and complainers, who followtheir own lusts. Their mouths speak arrogantly, and they flat-ter people for their own advantage. 17But you, beloved, be mind-ful of the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18

They told you, “In the end timesthere will be mockers who will follow their own ungodly lusts.”19 These men cause divisions among you. They are carnal, anddo not have the Spirit.

20But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holyfaith, praying in the Holy Spirit. 21Keep yourselves in God’slove as you wait for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, whichwill result in eternal life.

22Concerning those who have gone astray, handle every casedifferently: have mercy on some, 23but save others with fear— snatching them out of the fire, detesting even the clothing thatis defiled by the flesh.

24Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling andto bring you into His glorious presence without fault and withgreat joy, 25to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory, majesty,

power, and authority, both now and forever! Amen.



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Revelation

This is the revelation that God gave to Jesus Christ, toshow His servants what must happen shortly. His angel

revealed this revelation to His slave John, by using signs andsymbols. 2 This man, John, testifies of all he has witnessed con-cerning the word of God and Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the manwho reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are thosewho hear it and obey what is written in it, for the time of its

fulfillment is near!

4From: John

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from Him who is, who was, andwho is to come, and from the sevenfold Spirit before Histhrone,113 5and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, who is

the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of theearth.

To Him who loves us, who has washed our sins away by Hisblood, 6and who has made us kings and priests to His God andFather—to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

7Look! He is coming in the clouds.Every eye will see Him,

including those who have pierced Him.And all the tribes of the landwill wail because of Him.

Yes and Amen!

113 The sevenfold Spirit, or the seven Spirits, is symbolic of thefullness of the Holy Spirit—Isaiah 11:2: He is the Spirit of the

Lord, the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Understanding, theSpirit of Counsel, the Spirit of Power, the Spirit of Knowledge,and the Spirit of the fear (reverence, respect) of the Lord. Thenumber seven means fullness, completeness, perfection.

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8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord,

“who is, who was, and who is to come,the Almighty.”

9I, John, your brother and partner in the suffering, king-dom, and perseverance that are in Jesus Christ, was on theIsland of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimonyof Jesus Christ.114 10On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, andbehind me, I heard a loud voice that sounded like a trumpet.11 The voice said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and

the Last. Write down everything you see in a book and send itto the seven churches in the province of Asia: the church of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,and Laodicea.”

12 Then I turned toward the voice to see who was speaking tome, and I saw seven golden lamp stands. 13In the middle of theseven lamp stands, I saw One who looked like the Son of Man.He was wearing a robe that reached down to His feet, with a

golden sash around His chest. 14

His head and hair were whitelike wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. 15His feet were like bronze glowing in a fiery furnace, andHis voice was like the sound of many waters. 16In His righthand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharptwo-edged sword. And His face shone like the sun in all itsbrilliance.

17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were dead. But He

put His right hand on me and said, “Do not fear! I am the Firstand the Last. 18I am the Living One. I was dead, but look—I amalive forever and ever! Amen. And I have the keys of hell anddeath. 19Now write down what you have already seen—what

you presently see—and what you will see next. 20Here is themystery of the seven stars that you saw in My right hand and

114 The apostle John, now an old man, was exiled to the Island

of Patmos during the reign of Emperor Domitian. After Domi-tian died in 96 A.D., John was released and returned to thecity of Ephesus. It is believed that John died around 100 A.D.of natural causes.



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the seven golden lamp stands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven

churches.

Church in Ephesus

“Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus:

‘These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars inHis right hand and who walks among the seven golden lamp

stands. 2

I know your deeds, your hard work, and your perse-verance. I know that you cannot stand evil people. You havetested those who pretended to be apostles, and found them tobe liars. 3You have held up patiently, and have worked hardfor My name’s sake without growing weary. 4But I have thisagainst you: you have forsaken your first love! 5Remember howfar you have fallen, repent, and do the things you did at first. If

you do not repent, I will come to you quickly and will remove your lamp stand from its place. 6But I commend you for this:

you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.7Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to thechurches. To him who overcomes, I will permit to eat of thetree of life that is in the midst of God’s paradise.’

Church in Smyrna

8“Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna:

‘These are the words of Him who is the First and the Last,who died and came to life again. 9I know your works, your suf-fering, and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander

you have endured from those who call themselves Jews but arenot—they really belong to satan’s synagogue. 10Do not fearwhat you are about to suffer. Look! The devil is going to throwsome of you into prison to test you, and you will be persecutedfor ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the

crown of life. 11

Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the

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Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes, will not beharmed by the second death.’ 115

Church in Pergamos

12“Write this to the angel of the church in Pergamos:

‘These are the words of Him who has the sharp two-edgedsword. 13I know your works, I know where you live—you livewhere satan’s throne is. Yet you hold on to My name. You have

not denied your faith in Me, even during the days when Myfaithful witness Antipas was killed in your city—the city wheresatan lives. 14But I have a few things against you: there aresome among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, whotaught Balak how to put a stumbling block before the Israelitesin order to tempt them to eat food that was sacrificed to idolsand to commit fornication. 15You also have some among youwho hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans, which I hate.16Repent! If not, I will come to you quickly and will fight a-

gainst them with the sword of My mouth. 17

Whoever has anear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To himwho overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I willalso give him a white stone with a new name written on it,which only he will know.’

Church in Thyatira

18

“Write this to the angel of the church in Thyatira:

‘These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are likeflames of fire and whose feet are like glowing bronze. 19I know

your works, your love, your service, your faith, and your perse-verance—that you are doing more now than you did at first.20But I have a few things against you: you allow that woman

115

The second death is when death and hell are thrown intothe lake of fire. Those whose names are not found written inthe book of life will suffer eternal punishment in the lake of fire(Revelation 20:6, 14-15, 21:8).



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Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduceMy servants into committing fornication and eating food thathas been sacrificed to idols. 21I have given her time to repent of her fornication, but she has not repented. 22Look! I will throwher onto a sickbed, and I will cause those who commit adulterywith her to suffer greatly, unless they repent of her works. 23Iwill strike her children dead. Then all the churches will knowthat I am He who searches the minds and hearts of every per-son, and that I will give each person what his works deserve.24But I say this to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not holdto her teaching and have not learned what they call the “deepsecrets of satan,” I will not put any other burden on you. 25 Just

hold on to what you have until I come. 26 To him who over-comes and keeps My works to the end, I will give authorityover the nations. 27He will receive the same authority that Ireceived from My Father:

“He will rule the nations with an iron scepter,and will smash them like clay pottery.”(Psalm 2:9)

28I will also give him the morning star. 29Whoever has an ear,let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Church in Sardis

“Write this to the angel of the church in Sardis:

‘These are the words of Him who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: I know your works. You have areputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up!Strengthen what remains, before it dies. For I have not found

your works complete in the sight of My God. 3Remember what you have received and heard, obey it, and repent! If you do notwake up, I will come to you like a thief—at an hour you do notexpect. 4Nevertheless, there are a few people in Sardis whohave not soiled their clothes. They will walk with Me in white,because they are worthy. 5He who overcomes, will be dressedin white. I will never erase his name from the book of life, and Iwill acknowledge his name before My Father and His angels.

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6Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to thechurches.’

Church in Philadelphia

7“Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia:

‘These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who hasthe key of David. He opens doors that no one can shut, andshuts doors that no one can open: 8I know your works. Look! I

have opened a door for you that no one can shut. For with verylittle strength you have kept My word and have not renouncedMy name. 9Look! I will make those who belong to satan’ssynagogue—those liars who call themselves Jews but are not— come and bow down at your feet. Then they will know that Ihave loved you. 10Since you have patiently kept My word, I willkeep you from the hour of trial that will come upon the wholeworld to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11Look! I am comingsoon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away

your crown. 12

He who overcomes, I will make a pillar in thetemple of My God, and he will never leave it. I will write on himthe name of My God and the name of the city of My God—thenew Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven from MyGod—and My new name. 13Whoever has an ear, let him hearwhat the Spirit says to the churches.’

Church in Laodicea

14“Write this to the angel of the church in Laodicea:

‘These are the words of Him who is True, the Faithful and True Witness, the Source of God’s creation: 15I know yourworks, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you wereone or the other! 16But since you are lukewarm, neither hotnor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth! 17You say, “I amrich, I have become wealthy, I need nothing.” But you do not

realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, andnaked. 18I advise you to buy gold from Me that has beenrefined in the fire, so that you can be rich; white robes, so that

you can be clothed, so that your shame and nakedness will not



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be exposed; and eye salve to rub into your eyes, so that youcan see. 19I rebuke and discipline all those I love, so be zealousand repent! 20Look! I stand at the door and knock. If any manhears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him andwill fellowship with him, and he will fellowship with Me. 21 Tohim who overcomes, I will permit to sit with Me on My throne,

just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.22Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to thechurches.’”

After this I looked and saw an open door in heaven. Andthe same voice that sounded like a trumpet said to me,

“Come up here, and I will show you what must happen afterthis.” 2Immediately, I was in the Spirit. I saw a throne in heav-en, and there was One sitting on the throne.116 3 The One

116 This parallels the rapture of the church. The first threechapters of the Book of Revelation talk about the church age.But immediately after the church age, John sees an open door

in heaven and hears a voice like a trumpet, saying, “Come uphere, and I will show you what must happen after this (thechurch age).” And instantly John was before God’s throne. Thesame thing will happen with the church (1 Thessalonians4:16-17). The church will be raptured before the tribulationperiod (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 5:9-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8;Revelation 3:10). We, the church, will escape the wrath of God(the tribulation period). When the Holy Spirit removes thechurch, then the lawless one will be revealed (2 Thessalonians

2:7-8).

Seventy weeks are decreed for Israel (Daniel 9:24-27). At theend of the sixty-ninth week, the Messiah (Jesus) was cut off (Daniel 9:26) and the clock stopped. When this happened, thechurch age started. After the church age, the clock will startagain, and the seventieth week of Daniel will begin. It willbegin with the antichrist signing a seven year peace treaty withIsrael. Indeed, the church will be raptured at the end of the

church age, and then the antichrist will be revealed. He willsign a seven year peace treaty with Israel, which will start theseventieth week. At the end of the seventieth week/tribulationperiod, Jesus will come again (The second coming of Christ).

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sitting on the throne looked like a jasper and sardius stone.And an emerald green rainbow encircled His throne. 4Around

the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and I saw twenty-four elders sitting on these thrones. They were dressed inwhite robes and had golden crowns on their heads. 5From thethrone came flashes of lightning, thunder, and rumbling.Seven lamps were burning before the throne—these lamps rep-resent the sevenfold Spirit of God. 6In front of the throne was aglassy sea, like crystal.

Around the throne, on each side, were four living creatures.

They were covered with eyes, front and back. 7

The first livingcreature was like a lion. The second living creature was like acalf. The third living creature had a face like a man. The fourthliving creature was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four livingcreatures had six wings. Their bodies and their wings werecovered with eyes—even under their wings. Day and night theynever stop saying,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,

who was, and is, and is to come.”9Whenever the living creatures give glory and honour andthanks to Him who sits on the throne—to Him who lives for-ever and ever— 10the twenty-four elders fall down before Himwho sits on the throne. As they worship Him who lives foreverand ever, they cast their crowns before His throne, saying,

11“You are worthy, O Lord,

to receive glory and honour and power.For You created all things,and because of Your willthey exist and were created.”

Next I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One who wassitting on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was

sealed with seven seals. 2I also saw a mighty angel, who pro-claimed with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scrolland to break its seals?” 3But no one in heaven or on earth orunder the earth was able to open the scroll or to look inside it.4I could not stop weeping, because no one was found worthy to

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open and read the scroll or to look inside it. 5 Then one of theelders said to me, “Do not weep. Look! The Lion of the tribe of

Judah, the Root of David, has overcome. He is able to open thescroll and to break its seven seals.”

6 Then I looked and saw a Lamb that appeared to be slain.He was standing between the throne, the four living creatures,and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes—whichrepresent the sevenfold Spirit of God, who is sent out into allthe earth. 7 The Lamb came and took the scroll from the righthand of Him who sits on the throne. 8And when the Lamb tookthe scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four eldersfell down before Him. Each one had a harp and a golden bowlfull of incense, which represent the prayers of the saints. 9Andthey sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scrolland to break its seals.

For You were slain,and Your blood has bought for Godpeople from every tribe and languageand people and nation.

10And You have made them kingsand priests for our God,and they will reign on the earth.”

11 Then I looked and heard the voices of the living creatures,the elders, and all of the millions and hundreds of millions of angels surrounding the throne. 12With a loud voice they said:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slainto receive power and riches and wisdomand strength and honourand glory and blessing!”

13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth andunder the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lambbe blessing and honour and glory and powerforever and ever!”



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14And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever andever.

First Seal Judgment

I watched as the Lamb broke the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice

of thunder, “Come and see!” 2I looked and saw a white horse.Its rider had a bow, and he was given a crown. He went out asa conqueror, determined to conquer the world.117

Second Seal Judgment

3When the Lamb broke the second seal, I heard the secondliving creature say, “Come and see!” 4 Then another horse wentout, it was fiery red. Its rider was given a large sword and theauthority to take peace from the earth so that men would kill

one another.118

Third Seal Judgment

5When the Lamb broke the third seal, I heard the thirdliving creature say, “Come and see!” Then I looked and saw ablack horse, and its rider had a pair of scales in his hand.6 Then I heard a voice from among the four living creatures say,

“Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, but do not harm the oil and thewine!”

Fourth Seal Judgment

117 The first seal starts off the tribulation with the appearing of

the antichrist. When he comes he will establish a seven yearpeace treaty with Israel (Daniel 9:27).118 The ten kings of Revelation 17:12 might possibly come outof the shadows when this second seal is opened.

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7When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come and see!” 8I looked and

saw a pale green horse. Its rider’s name was Death, and Hellfollowed him. They were given authority to kill over a quarter of the earth’s population by sword, famine, plague, and by thewild animals of the earth.

Fifth Seal Judgment

9When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar

the souls of those who had been martyred because of God’sword and the testimony they had given.119 10 They cried outwith a loud voice, saying, “Lord, holy and true, how long beforeYou judge and avenge our blood on those living on the earth?”11Each one was given a white robe and was told to wait a littlelonger, until the martyrdom of their fellow-slaves and brotherswas completed.

Sixth Seal Judgment12When the Lamb broke the sixth seal, I looked and saw a

great earthquake. The sun became black like sackcloth, andthe moon became like blood. 13 The stars of heaven fell to theearth, like unripe figs falling from a fig tree when shaken by astrong wind. 14 The heavens disappeared like a scroll beingrolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from itsplace. 15 Then the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals,

the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free man, hidthemselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains.16 They cried out to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on usand hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne andfrom the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of His wrathhas come, and who can stand?”

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of

the earth. They were holding back the four winds of theearth so that no wind could blow on the earth, the sea, or on

119 These are martyred tribulation saints.7



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any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming from the east withthe seal of the living God. He cried out with a loud voice to thefour angels who had been given authority to harm the earthand the sea, saying, 3“Do not harm the earth, the sea, or thetrees, until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the slaves of our God.”120 4 Then I heard the number of those who weresealed, the total was, 144,000 from every tribe of Israel:121

5From the tribe of Judah12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Gad12,000 were sealed,

6from the tribe of Asher12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Naphtali12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Manasseh12,000 were sealed,

7from the tribe of Simeon12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Levi12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Issachar12,000 were sealed,

8from the tribe of Zebulun12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Joseph12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Benjamin12,000 were sealed.

9After this, I looked and saw a great multitude that no mancould count. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and

120 The seal written on their foreheads is the name of the Lamband of His Father (Revelation 14:1). This is in sharp contrast to

the number of the beast, which numerically spells the anti-christ’s name. The mark of the beast (Rev. 13:16-18).121 God will supernaturally protect these 144,000 Jews andthey will preach the gospel to the world.



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language. They were standing before the throne and before theLamb dressed in white robes and holding palm branches in

their hands.122 10

And they cried out with a loud voice, saying,

“Salvation comes from our God,who sits on the throne,and from the Lamb!”

11All the angels stood around the throne, the elders, and thefour living creatures. They fell facedown before the throne andworshiped God, 12saying,

“Amen!Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanks

and honour and power and strengthbelong to our God forever and ever!

Amen!”

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these peopledressed in white robes? Where did they come from?”

14

I answered him, “You know, sir.” Then he said to me, “These are the people who have comeout of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes andmade them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 That is why theystand before the throne of God and serve Him day and night inHis temple. And He who sits on the throne will pitch His tentover them. 16 They will never be hungry or thirsty again, andthe heat of the sun will no longer make them weary. 17For theLamb at the center of the throne will shepherd them and will

lead them to springs of living water, and God will wipe awayevery tear from their eyes.”

Seventh Seal Judgment

When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silencein heaven for about half an hour. 2 Then I saw the seven

angels who stand before God, and they were given seven trum-

pets. 3

Another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden

122 These are more martyred tribulation saints.

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censer. He was given a large amount of incense to offer withthe prayers of all the saints, which he offered on the golden

altar before the throne. 4

The smoke of the incense, along withthe prayers of the saints, ascended up before God from theangel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with firefrom the altar, and tossed it to the earth, and there was rum-bling, thunder, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets pre-pared to blow them.

First Trumpet Judgment

7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixedwith blood were tossed to the earth. A third of the earth wasburned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all thegreen grass was burned up.

Second Trumpet Judgment8 The second angel blew his trumpet, and something that

looked like a massive burning mountain was tossed into thesea. A third of the sea became blood, 9a third of the sea crea-tures died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Third Trumpet Judgment

10 The third angel blew his trumpet, and a massive star fellfrom heaven, blazing like a torch. It fell on a third of the riversand springs of water. 11 The name of the star was “Bitterness.”A third of the water became bitter, and many people died fromdrinking the toxic water.

Fourth Trumpet Judgment

12 The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun,



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moon, and stars were struck, so that a third of them becamedark. The day was without a third of its light, and the night as

well.13 Then I saw an angel flying through the air, and I heard

him saying with a loud voice, “Woe, woe, woe, to those livingon the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that thethree angels are about to blow!”

Fifth Trumpet Judgment

The fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that hadfallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to

the bottomless pit. 2He opened the bottomless pit, and plumesof smoke billowed out like the smoke of a massive furnace, andthe sun and sky became dark from the smoke of the pit. 3 Thenlocusts came out of the smoke and descended to the earth,and they were given the power to sting like scorpions. 4 Theywere told not to harm the grass, plants, or trees of the earth,

but only those people who did not have the seal of God on theirforeheads. 5 The locusts were not allowed to kill them, but onlyto torment them for five months. The torment inflicted on themwas like the torment of a scorpion sting. 6In those days menwill seek death, but will not find it. They will long to die, butdeath will elude them.

7 The locusts looked like horses prepared for battle. On theirheads they wore what looked like crowns of gold, and their

faces looked human. 8

They had long hair like a woman, andteeth like a lion. 9 They had breastplates like iron, and theirwings sounded like the sound of many chariots and horsescharging into battle. 10 They had tails that stung like scorpions,and they had the power to harm men for five months. 11 Theangel of the bottomless pit is their king. His name in Hebrew is“Abaddon,” and his name in Greek is “Apollyon.”123

123 The name “Abaddon” and “Apollyon” both mean “destruc-tion.”

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12 The first woe has passed. But look! There are still twomore woes to come!

Sixth Trumpet Judgment

13 The sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice fromthe four horns of the golden altar that is before God. 14 Thevoice said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release thefour angels who are bound at the great Euphrates River.”15 Then the four angels who had been prepared for this veryhour, day, month, and year were released to kill a third of mankind. 16I heard the number of horsemen in their army, itwas 200 million!

17 The horses and riders I saw in the vision were wearingfiery red, blue, and yellow breastplates. The horses had headslike lions. And fire, smoke, and brimstone came out of theirmouths. 18A third of mankind was killed by the three plaguesof fire, smoke, and brimstone that came out of their mouths.19

The power of the horses was in their mouths and in theirtails. They had tails like a snake, and their heads caused greatharm.

20Everyone who was not killed by these plagues refused torepent of the works of their hands and continued to worshipdemons and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood— idols that cannot see, hear, or walk! 21 They refused to repent of their murders, drugs and witchcraft, sexual immorality, or of

their thefts.

Next I saw another mighty angel coming down fromheaven. He was clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow

was over his head. His face shone like the sun, and his feetwere like pillars of fire. 2In his hand was a small open scroll.He placed his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land.3And he cried out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When

he cried out, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. 4

Whenthe seven thunders spoke, I was about to write down what wassaid. But I heard a voice from heaven say to me, “Seal up whatthe seven thunders have said and do not write it down.” 5 Then

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the angel, the one I had seen standing on the sea and on theland, lifted his hand to heaven. 6He swore an oath by Him who

lives forever and ever, who created the heavens, the earth, thesea, and everything in them: “There will be no further delay.7When the time comes for the seventh angel to blow his trum-pet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, just as He announcedto His servants the prophets.”

8 Then the voice from heaven spoke to me again and said,“Go and take the small open scroll from the hand of the angelwho is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9So I went over to

the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. He said tome, “Take it and eat it. In your mouth it will be as sweet ashoney, but it will turn bitter in your stomach.” 10So I took thesmall scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth itwas as sweet as honey, but after I ate it, it turned bitter in mystomach. 11 Then he said to me, “You must prophesy againabout many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

Then I was given a measuring stick and told, “Go andmeasure the temple of God and the altar, and countthe number of worshipers there. 2But do not measure the out-er court of the temple. Leave it out, because it has been givento the Gentiles. They will trample the holy city for 42 months.3I will give authority to My two witnesses, and they will proph-esy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.”124 4 These two wit-nesses are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands thatstand before the God of the earth. 5If anyone tries to harm

them, fire will come out of their mouth and will devour theirenemies. This is how anyone who tries to harm them will die.6 These two witnesses have authority to shut up the sky so thatit will not rain during the days they are prophesying. They alsohave authority to turn the waters into blood, and to strike theearth with any kind of plague as often as they desire.

7When they finish their testimony, the beast that comes outof the bottomless pit will declare war on them and will overpower

124 These two witnesses will probably be “Enoch” (Genesis5:24; Hebrews 11:5) and the prophet “Elijah” (2 Kings 2:11).God took them both up to heaven alive.

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and kill them. 8 Their bodies will lie in the street of the greatcity, which is symbolically called “Sodom” and “Egypt,” where

also their Lord was crucified.125 9

For three and a half dayspeople from every tribe, language, and nation will see theirbodies and will not be allowed to bury them. 10 Those who liveon the earth will joyfully celebrate their death, and will givegifts to one another, because these two prophets had tormentedthose living on the earth.

11But after three and a half days God’s Spirit of Life enteredthem, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those

who were watching them. 12

Then they heard a loud voice fromheaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up toheaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. 13At thatvery hour there was a great earthquake that destroyed a tenthof the city. Seven thousand people died in the earthquake, andthe survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed. But look! The third woe is

coming quickly.

Seventh Trumpet Judgment

15 The seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loudvoices in heaven, saying,

“The kingdom of the world has become

the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ,and He will reign forever and ever!”

16And the twenty-four elders, who were sitting on theirthrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,17saying,

“We thank You, Lord God Almighty,who is, who was, and who is to come,

125 The city of Jerusalem



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because You have taken Your great powerand have begun to reign.

18“The nations were angry,but Your wrath has come.

Now is the time to judge the dead,and to reward Your servants,Your prophets and saints,and everyone who reveres Your name,both small and great,and to destroy those who

have caused destruction on the earth.”19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of

His covenant was seen inside His temple. And there wereflashes of lightning, rumbling, thunder, an earthquake, and agreat hailstorm.

Then a great sign appeared in heaven: there was a

woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneathher feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars.126 2Shewas pregnant and cried out in pain, because she was about togive birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: there was agreat red dragon127 with seven heads, ten horns, and sevencrowns on his heads. 4His tail swept a third of the stars out of heaven and tossed them to the earth. The dragon stood infront of the woman who was about to give birth, so that hecould devour her Child when she gave birth. 5But she gave

birth to a Son, a male Child, who will rule all the nations withan iron scepter. And her Child was snatched up to God and toHis throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness, to a placethat God had prepared for her, where she would be nourishedfor 1,260 days.

126 This woman represents the nation of Israel and the twelvestars represent the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 37:5-11).127

The great red dragon is satan. Satan is the power behindthe antichrist and his kingdom. Satan is the source behind allrebellion against God and His Son (Revelation 17:9-14; Daniel7:7-8, 20, 24).

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7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angelsfought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels

fought back. 8

But the dragon and his angels were defeated andlost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown out— that old serpent, who is called the devil and satan, the onewho deceives the whole world—he was thrown down to theearth with all his angels.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“Now the salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,and the authority of His Christ have come.For the accuser of our brothers

has been thrown out,the one who continually accuses thembefore our God day and night.

11“And they overcame himby the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony. They did not love their lives,even when faced with death.

12“Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who live in them!

But woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea,because the devil has come down to you!

He is inflamed with rage,because he knows that his time is short!”128

13When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to theearth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the maleChild. 14But the woman was given two wings like a great eagle,so that she could fly to her place in the wilderness. There shewould be nourished for a time, times, and half a time, awayfrom the serpent’s reach. 15 The serpent spewed water out of

128 Satan will be thrown down to the earth midway through thetribulation period.



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his mouth like a river in order to sweep the woman away in atorrent. 16But the earth helped the woman by opening its

mouth and swallowing the river that came from the dragon’smouth. 17 Then the dragon became enraged at the woman andwent off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—thosewho keep God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of

Jesus Christ.

I stood on the seashore, and saw a beast coming upout of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, on

his horns were ten crowns, and each of his heads had a blas-phemous name written on them.129 2 The beast looked like aleopard, but had feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion. Thedragon gave the beast his power, his throne, and great author-ity.130 3One of the heads of the beast looked like it had a dead-ly wound, but the deadly wound was healed. And the wholeearth followed the beast in amazement.131 4 They worshiped thedragon because he had given the beast his authority. And theyalso worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who

can make war with him?” 5

The beast was given a mouth tospeak arrogant words and blasphemies, and to exercise his au-

129 The beast represents the antichrist and his kingdom, theRevived Roman Empire. The beast has ten horns that repre-sent ten kings (Daniel 7:24), his seven heads represent sevenhills (Rome) (Revelations 17:9), and his crowns represent thepower and authority that the ten kings will hand over to him(Revelation 17:12-13). The ten kings will arise out of the Re-

vived Roman Empire, and their tentacles of power will reachworldwide. These ten kings will hand over their power andauthority to the antichrist.130 This relates to Daniel’s dream of the four beasts (Daniel 7:1-7). The leopard is symbolic of Greece, the bear is symbolic of Medo-Persia, and the lion is symbolic of Babylon. The RevivedRoman Empire will have some of the attributes of these threeformer kingdoms. The antichrist’s power, throne, and author-ity come from satan.131

The antichrist will be assassinated, but satan will bringhim back to life again (Revelation 13:12-14; Zechariah 11:17).Satan will try to copy the resurrection of Jesus Christ, becausehe is a deceiver.

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thority for forty-two months.132 6He opened his mouth to blas-pheme God—insulting His name, His dwelling place, and those

living in heaven. 7

The beast was allowed to wage war againstthe saints and to overcome them. And he was given authorityover every tribe, language, and nation. 8All those living on theearth will worship the beast—everyone whose name is notwritten in the book of life, which belongs to the Lamb who wasslain before the foundation of the world. 9Whoever has an ear,let him hear.

10Whoever is destined for captivity,

will go into captivity!Whoever is destined to die by the sword,will die by the sword!

During this time the saints must have great perseverance andfaith!

11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. Hehad two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.133 12Hewas given the same authority as the first beast, and he madethe earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whosedeadly wound was healed. 13He performed great signs in frontof men, even making fire come down from heaven to earth.134

14 The second beast deceived those living on the earth with thesigns he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast. He

132 Daniel 7:8, 7:25133 This second beast is the False Prophet (Revelation 16:13,

19:20, 20:10).134 Satan is going to try to copy the Trinity. The Trinity: Father,Son, and Holy Spirit. The false trinity: dragon, beast, and falseprophet. The false prophet is going to pretend that he is theprophet Elijah. Elijah is the forerunner to the Messiah (Malachi4:5)—one of the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3). A notable mir-acle in Elijah’s ministry was that fire came down from heaven(1 Kings 18:30-39; 2 Kings 1:9-14). The false prophet will pre-tend to be the prophet Elijah by making fire come down from

heaven, because he wants to deceive the Jews into thinkingthat the antichrist is their messiah. Both the antichrist andthe false prophet will be Jewish, because Jesus and Elijahwere both Jewish.



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told them to make an image of the first beast, who once waswounded by the sword and yet lived. 15He had authority to givelife to the image of the beast so that it could speak, and to putto death all who would not worship the image of the beast.16He also made everyone, both small and great, rich and poor,free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on theirforehead. 17No one could buy or sell unless they had the mark,which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.18 This requires wisdom. Let those with understanding countthe number of the beast, it is the number of a man. And hisnumber is 666.

Then I looked and saw the Lamb standing on mountZion, and with Him were the 144,000 who had His

name and His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2And Iheard a sound from heaven that sounded like the rushing of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The sound Iheard was like the sound of harpists playing their harps. 3 Theysang a new song before the throne, the four living creatures,and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000

who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 They did not becomedefiled with women, for they are virgins. They follow the Lambwherever He goes. They were redeemed from among men, thefirstfruits to God and to the Lamb. 5No lie was found in theirmouths, for they are blameless before God’s throne.

6Next I saw another angel flying through the air with theeverlasting gospel to proclaim to the inhabitants of the earth— to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7He cried out with

a loud voice,

“Revere God and give Him glory,because the hour of His judgment has come!

Worship Him who made heaven and earth,the sea and the springs of water!”

8A second angel followed, exclaiming,

“Fallen, fallen is the great city of Babylon,because she has made all the nations drinkthe wine of her wrath and fornication!”

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9A third angel followed them, crying out with a loud voice,“Whoever worships the beast and his image and receives hismark on their forehead or on their hand, 10will drink the wineof God’s wrath that has been mixed undiluted into the cup of His anger. And they will be tormented by fire and brimstone inthe presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There will be no restday or night for those who worship the beast and his image, orfor anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12During thistime the saints who keep God’s commandments and their faithin Jesus must have great perseverance.

13Next I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down:blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,”says the Spirit, “they will rest from their hard work, for theirdeeds follow them.”

14 Then I looked and saw a white cloud, and sitting on thecloud was One who looked like the Son of Man. He had a goldcrown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand.135

15Another angel came from the temple and cried out with aloud voice to the One who was sitting on the cloud, “Take Yoursickle and reap, because Your hour to reap has come, for theharvest of the earth is ripe!” 16So the One who was sitting onthe cloud swung His sickle over the earth, and the earth washarvested.

17 Then another angel came from the temple in heaven, andhe also had a sharp sickle. 18From the altar came another

angel who was in charge of the fire. He cried out with a loudvoice and said to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Take yoursharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’svine, because its grapes are ripe!” 19So the angel swung hissickle over the earth. Then he gathered the earth’s grapes andtossed them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 Thegrapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and

135 The One who looked like the Son of Man is Jesus Christ(Revelation 1:13; Daniel 7:13-14).



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blood flowed out of the winepress as high as a horse’s bridlefor two hundred miles.136

Then I saw another sign in heaven, it was great andmarvellous. There were seven angels with the seven

last plagues. God’s wrath will be completed once these plaguesare poured out.

2Next I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who overcame137 the beast, his image, his mark, and thenumber of his name, were standing on the glassy sea. They wereall holding harps, which God had given to them. 3And they sangthe song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the Lamb:

“Great and marvellous are your works,Lord God Almighty,

just and true are Your ways,King of the nations.

4Who will not fear You, O Lord,

and glorify Your name?For You alone are holy,and all the nations will comeand bow down before You,because Your righteous actshave been revealed.”

5After this, I looked and saw that the temple—the tent of testimony—was opened in heaven. 6 The seven angels who had

the seven plagues came out of the temple. They were clothed inbright clean linen with golden sashes around their chests.7One of the four living creatures handed the seven angels

136 This is talking about the battle of Armageddon, when the na-tions go to Israel to fight for world supremacy and fight againstthe Lord Jesus when He returns (Zechariah 14:2-3; Revelation

19:19). This battle will be in several stages (Daniel 11:40-45),climaxing with Christ’s return. Just think! Israel is 263 milesfrom north to south.137 These are martyred saints from the tribulation.

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seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who livesforever and ever. 8 Then the temple was filled with smoke from

the glory and power of God, and no one was able to enter thetemple until the seven plagues of the seven angels werecompleted.

First Bowl Judgment

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to theseven angels, “Go and pour out the seven bowls of

God’s wrath onto the earth.” 2

So the first angel went andpoured out his bowl onto the earth, and vile, malignant soresbroke out on those who had the mark of the beast andworshiped his image.

Second Bowl Judgment

3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it

became like the blood of a dead man, and every living thing inthe sea died.

Third Bowl Judgment

4 The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers andsprings of water, and they became blood. 5 Then I heard theangel who was in charge of the waters say,

“You are righteous Lord— who is, who was, and who is to come— because You have passed

judgment on them.6Since they have shed the blood

of Your saints and prophets,You have given them blood to drink—

just as they deserve!”

7 Then I heard another voice from the altar, saying,

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“Yes, Lord God Almighty,true and righteous are Your judgments!”

Fourth Bowl Judgment

8 The forth angel poured out his bowl onto the sun, causingit to scorch men with fire. 9Men were scorched with intenseheat, and blasphemed the name of God, who had authorityover all these plagues. But still, they did not repent and giveHim glory.

Fifth Bowl Judgment

10 The fifth angel poured out his bowl onto the throne of thebeast, and his kingdom became so dark that men gnawed theirtongues in agony.138 11And they blasphemed the God of heavenbecause of their pains and sores. But still, they did not repentof their deeds.

Sixth Bowl Judgment

12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl onto the greatEuphrates River, and its waters dried up, preparing the wayfor the kings of the east to cross it.139 13Next, I saw threeunclean spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of themouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 14 These

demonic spirits perform miraculous signs to gather the kingsof the whole world for battle on the great day of God Almighty.15Look! As a thief comes, so will I! Blessed is the man whostays awake, who keeps his clothes on so that he will notstumble around naked and ashamed. 16And the demonicspirits gathered the kings of the earth together to the placethat in Hebrew is called “Armageddon.”

138 This fifth bowl judgment is poured out on the city of Romeand the Revived Roman Empire (Revelation 17, 18).139 Revelation 9:16



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Seventh Bowl Judgment

17

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air. Then aloud voice came from the temple in heaven, from the throne,which said, “It is done!” 18 Then there came rumblings, thun-der, flashes of lightning, and a great earthquake. The earth-quake’s magnitude was so great that in all of human historythere had never been one like it. 19 The great city140 split intothree parts, and the cities of the nations fell, for God remem-bered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with thewine of the wrath of His anger. 20Every island fled and themountains were not found. 21Large hailstones, weighing aboutone hundred pounds each, fell from the sky on men. But still,men blasphemed God, because the plague of hail was so utter-ly devastating.

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowlsspoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the

judgment of the great prostitute who sits on many waters. 2 Thekings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and

the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk on the wine of her fornication.” 3 Then the angel carried me away in the Spiritinto the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarletbeast that was covered with blasphemous names. It had sevenheads and ten horns. 4 The woman was clothed in purple andscarlet, and wore gold and precious stones and pearls. Shehad a gold cup in her hand that was full of the abominationsand uncleanness of her fornication. 5Written on her foreheadwas a name, a mystery:

Babylon the Great,the Mother of Prostitutes

and of the Abominations of the earth.

6I saw that the woman was drunk on the blood of thesaints—the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. I was astonishedand stared at her with great amazement. 7 The angel asked me,“Why are you so amazed? I will tell you the mystery of thewoman and of the beast she sits on—the beast with seven

140 The city of Rome (Revelation 17, 18).

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heads and ten horns.141 8 The beast that you saw once existed,now does not, yet will soon come up from the bottomless pit

and will go to destruction. The inhabitants of the earth—whosenames have not been written in the book of life from the foun-dation of the world—will be amazed when they see the beastthat once existed, now does not, yet will come again.142

9“This requires a mind with wisdom: the seven heads rep-resent seven hills where the woman sits, 10and the seven hillsalso represent seven kings. The first five have fallen, one iscurrently in power, and the other has not yet come; but when

he does come, his reign will be short.143 11

The beast that onceexisted, but now does not, is the eighth king. He belongs to theseven, and will go to his destruction.144 12 The ten horns yousaw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, butthey will receive authority to rule with the beast for onehour.145 13 These kings will have one mind, and will give theirpower and authority to the beast. 14 They will wage war againstthe Lamb, but the Lamb will be victorious over them, becauseHe is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those who are with Him,

are His called, chosen, and faithful followers.”

141 Here Mystery Babylon is speaking about the false church.After the rapture of the true church, all religions will mergeinto a one world religion—the false church. Mystery Babylonstems from Nimrod and the tower of Babel, where the firstorganized false religion was started in rebellion against God— the root of all false religion (Genesis 10:8-12, 11:1-9).142

This verse alludes to both the antichrist (Revelation 13:3,12, 14) and the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:40-43).143 The prostitute sits on seven hills, which is Rome—theVatican. The headquarters of the one world religion, the falsechurch, will be at the Vatican. The seven kings represent sevenkingdoms/empires, which are: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, and the Revived Roman Empire. Theantichrist’s kingdom will only last for a short time.144 The eighth king is the antichrist.145

These ten kings will arise out of the Revived Roman Empire,and their tentacles of power will reach worldwide (Daniel 7:23-24). These ten kings will hand over their power and authorityto the antichrist.



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15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters where the pros-titute sits, represent people, multitudes, nations, and lan-

guages. 16

The ten horns and the beast you saw will hate theprostitute. They will make her desolate and naked. They willeat her flesh and will burn her with fire.146 17For God has putthis into their hearts to carry out His purpose. With one mindthey will give their kingdom to the beast, so that God’s wordswill be fulfilled. 18 The woman you saw represents the great citythat rules over the kings of the earth.”147

After this I saw another angel coming down from heav-en with great authority, and his glory lit up the earth.

2He cried out with a loud mighty voice,

“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!148

She has become a home for demons,a refuge for every evil spirit,and a refuge for every uncleanand detestable bird.

3“For all the nations have drunk fromthe wine of her passionate fornication.

146 The ten kings and the antichrist will destroy the falsechurch halfway through the tribulation when the antichristcomes to power.147 In John’s time Rome was the great city that ruled over the

kings of the earth. The name—the mystery written on the pros-titute’s forehead was “Babylon the Great,” which representsthe city of Rome. The mystery: Babylon the Great is the city of Rome (1 Peter 5:13).148 Chapter 17 dealt with “religious/ecclesiastical Babylon,”while chapter 18 deals with “commercial/political Babylon.”Religious/ecclesiastical Babylon (the false church) will be de-stroyed by the antichrist and the ten kings halfway throughthe tribulation period. And commercial/political Babylon will

be destroyed near the end of the tribulation period. In chapter17 the Vatican and the false church will be destroyed. And inchapter 18 the city of Rome, the headquarters of the anti-christ’s political and economical system, will be destroyed.

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The kings of the earth have committedfornication with her, and the merchants

of the earth have become rich fromher wealth and luxury.”

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying,

“My people, come out of her!Do not take part in her sins,

or else you will receive her plagues.5For her sins have reached heaven,

and God has remembered her iniquities.6“Repay her for what she has done to others!Repay her double as her works deserve!Make her drink a double portion

from her own cup!

7“Give her just as much torment and sorrow,as she gave herself glory and luxury.

In her heart she says, ‘I sit as a queen,I am not a widow, and I will notsee mourning.’

8“For this reason, her plagues of death,mourning, and famine, will comeupon her in one day.

She will be consumed by fire,for the Lord God who judges her is mighty.”

9 The kings of the earth who committed fornication with herand lived in her luxury will weep and wail over her when theysee the smoke of her destruction. 10 Terrified by her tormentthey will stand at a distance, saying,

“Woe, woe, to the great city of Babylon,the strong city!

For in one hour your judgment has come!”

11 The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her,because no one buys their cargo anymore. 12No one buys theircargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; fine linens



Revelation 18

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made of purple, silk, and scarlet; vessels made of citron wood,ivory, and other precious woods, bronze, iron, and marble;13

cinnamon, incense, ointment, frankincense, wine, oil, fineflour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, chariots, and the bodiesand souls of men. 14 The merchants will say,

“The fruit you longed for is gone!All your riches and splendour are lost,

and you will never find them again!”

15 The merchants who became rich from her will stand at a

distance. Terrified by her torment they will weep and mourn,16saying,

“Woe, woe, to the great city!She was clothed in fine linen

made of purple and scarlet,and wore gold and precious stonesand pearls!

17In one hour such great wealth

has been destroyed!”

Every ship captain, passenger, sailor, and all those whomake their living from the sea, will stand at a distance. 18 Theywill cry out when they see the smoke of her destruction, saying,“What other city was like this great city?” 19 They will throwdust on their heads and cry out as they weep and mourn,saying,

“Woe, woe, to the great city that madeall ship owners rich from her wealth!For in one hour she has been destroyed!

20“Rejoice over her, you inhabitants of heaven,and you holy apostles and prophets,for God has judged her on your behalf!”

21 Then a mighty angel lifted up a stone, it was the size of a

large millstone, and he tossed it into the sea, saying,





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4 Then the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures felldown and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying,

“Amen! Hallelujah!”

5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying,

“Praise our God,all His slaves who revere Him,both small and great!”

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like thesound of many waters, like the sound of loud thunder, saying,

“Hallelujah!For the Lord God Almighty reigns!

7“Let us rejoice and celebrateand give Him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,and His bride has made herself ready.149

8Fine linen, bright and clean,has been given to her to wear.”

For the fine linen represents the righteousness of the saints.

9 Then the angel told me to write this down: “Blessed arethose who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Andhe added, “These are the true words of God.” 10 Then I fell at hisfeet to worship him, but the angel said to me, “Do not worshipme! I am a fellow-slave, just like you and your brothers whohold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimo-ny of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

11 Then I looked, and heaven was opened, and I saw a whitehorse. Its Rider was called Faithful and True. In righteousness

149

The marriage supper of the Lamb will take place after therapture, after the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10; 2Corinthians 5:10). The bride is the church (Ephesians 5:22-32;2 Corinthians 11:2).



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He judges and wages war. 12His eyes were like flames of fire;on His head were many crowns, and He had a name written on

Him that only He knew. 13

The robe He wore was stained withblood, and His name is “The Word of God.” 14 The armies of heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen thatwas white and clean. 15Out of His mouth came a sharp swordto strike down the nations. He will rule them with an ironscepter. He will tread the winepress of the wrath and anger of God Almighty. 16And on His robe and on His thigh, He has thisname written:

King of kingsandLord of lords.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried outwith a loud voice to all the birds flying in the air, “Come!Gather together for the great feast of God. 18Come and eat theflesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horse and rider,and of everyone—both free and slave, small and great!” 19 Then

I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armiesgathered together to wage war against the Rider on the whitehorse and His army. 20But the beast was captured, along withthe false prophet who had preformed miraculous signs on hisbehalf, deceiving those who had received the mark of the beastand who had worshiped his image. And they were both thrownalive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone. 21 The restof them were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of the Rider who sat on the white horse, and all the birds gorged

themselves on their flesh.

Next I saw an angel coming down from heaven with thekey to the bottomless pit and a large chain in his hand.

2He grabbed the dragon, that old serpent, who is the devil andsatan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 The angel threwhim into the bottomless pit, locked it, and sealed it over him,so that he could no longer deceive the nations until the thou-sand years were over. After that, he will be released for a shorttime.

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4 Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were givenauthority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had beenbeheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God.

They had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had notreceived his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to lifeand reigned with Christ for a thousand years— 5they are a partof the first resurrection.150 But the rest of the dead will notcome back to life until the thousand years are over. 6Blessedand holy are those who have a part in the first resurrection!

The second death has no authority over them. They will bepriests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with Him for athousand years.

7When the thousand years are over, satan will be releasedfrom his prison. 8He will go out one last time to deceive thenations in every corner of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gath-er them together for battle, and their number will be like thesand of the sea.151 9 They marched across the earth andsurrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, butfire came out of heaven from God and consumed them. 10Andthe devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of

fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet

150 This is the resurrection of life, which is best described inthe Lord’s own words: “I am the Resurrection and the Life.Whoever believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyonewho lives and believes in Me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

Those who are a part of the first resurrection will receive glo-

rified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35-57; 1 Corinthians 15:20-23;1 John 5:11-12).151 In this verse Gog and Magog is the name used for thenations that will rebel against Jesus Christ at the end of themillennial reign. This is not the same Gog and Magog found inEzekiel 38 and 39, which talks about the battle of Gog andMagog (Russia and its allies). In Ezekiel 38 and 39 Russia andits allies march against Israel, but God supernaturally defeatsthem; this battle will probably take place before the tribulation

(In fact, there will most likely be a small space of time betweenthe rapture and the tribulation period when this battle willprobably take place).



Revelation 21

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were. There they will be tormented day and night forever andever.

11Next I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat on it,from His presence the earth and the heavens fled and dis-appeared.152 12And I saw the dead, both small and great,standing before God, and the books were opened. Anotherbook was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were

judged according to what was written in the books concerningtheir works. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and hellgave up their dead, and each person was judged according to

their works. 14

Then death and hell were thrown into the lake of fire—this is the second death. 15And anyone whose name wasnot found written in the book of life was thrown into the lakeof fire.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the firstheaven and the first earth had passed away, and there

was no more sea. 2And I, John, saw the holy city, the new

Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared as abride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 Then I heard aloud voice from heaven, saying, “Look, the tabernacle of God iswith men! He will live with them, and they will be His people.God Himself will be with them, and He will be their God. 4AndGod will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be nomore death or sorrow or crying or pain, because the formerthings have disappeared.”

5

And He who sits on the throne said, “Look, I make allthings new!” He also said to me, “Write this down, becausethese words are true and faithful.” 6 Then He said to me, “It isdone! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and theEnd. To him who is thirsty, I will give freely from the fountainof the water of life. 7He who overcomes will inherit all these

152 The Great White Throne Judgment will take place after themillennial reign of Christ. This final judgment will not be for

the righteous, but for the wicked. Those who did not exceptGod’s gift of salvation through Jesus Christ will stand beforeGod to receive their judgment. There will be no excuses(Romans 1:20).

21



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things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8But thecowardly, the unbelieving, the detestable, the murderers, the

fornicators, those involved with drugs and witchcraft, the idol-aters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burnswith fire and brimstone—this is the second death.”

9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls fullof the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come! I willshow you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 The angel carriedme away in the Spirit to a high majestic mountain and showedme the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heav-

en from God. 11

It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliancewas like a very precious gemstone—like a crystal-clear jasperstone. 12Its walls were great and high, with twelve angelsguarding its twelve gates, and the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed on its gates. 13 There werethree gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south,and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelvefoundations, and the names of the twelve apostles of the Lambwere inscribed on them.

15 The angel who spoke with me had a gold measuring stickto measure the city, its twelve gates, and its walls. 16 The citywas square, and its length and width were the same. Hemeasured the city and found its length, width, and height tobe 1,400 miles each. 17 The angel measured the walls by a hu-man measuring system, and they were 216 feet high. 18Itswalls were made of jasper and the city was made of pure gold,as transparent as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls

were decorated with all kinds of precious stones. The firstfoundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalced-ony, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius,the seventh chrysolite, the eight beryl, the ninth topaz, thetenth chrysoprasus, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth ame-thyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate madefrom a single pearl. The streets of the city were pure gold, astransparent as glass.

22

I saw no temple in the city, because the Lord GodAlmighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not needthe sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God isits light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk in



Revelation 22

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its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory andhonour into it. 25Its gates will never close, because there will be

no more night there. 26

And the glory and honour of the nationswill be brought into it. 27No impure thing, detestable person, orliar will enter it, but only those whose names are written in theLamb’s book of life.

Next the angel showed me the pure river of the water of life, crystal-clear, flowing from the throne of God and of

the Lamb. 2It flowed down the middle of the main street, and

the tree of life lined both sides of the river. It produced twelvefruit harvests, one every month. And the leaves of the tree arefor the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be anycurse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city,and His slaves will serve Him. 4 They will see His face, and Hisname will be written on their foreheads. 5 There will be no morenight. Never again will they need a lamp or the light of the sun,because the Lord God will be their light. And they will reignforever and ever.

6 Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful andtrue, and the Lord God of the holy prophets has sent His angelto show His slaves what must happen soon.”

7“Look! I am coming soon. Blessed are those who obey thewords of the prophecy in this book.”

8I, John, am the one who saw and heard these things. And

when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feetof the angel who showed me these things. 9But he said to me,“Do not worship me! I am a fellow-slave with you, and yourbrothers the prophets, and with all who obey the words of thisbook. Worship God!”

10 Then the angel said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy in this book, because the time is near. 11Let theunjust continue to live unjustly, let the filthy continue to live

in filthiness, let the righteous continue to live in righteousness,and let the holy continue to live in holiness.”

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12“Look! I am coming soon. My reward is with Me, and I willrepay each person for what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and

the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.14“Blessed are those who obey My commandments, for they

will have the privilege of entering through the gates into thecity, and they will have the privilege of eating from the tree of life. 15Outside the city are the dogs—those involved with drugsand witchcraft, the fornicators, the murderers, the idolaters,and everyone who loves to lie. 16I, Jesus, have sent My angel togive you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the

Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star.” 17

The Spirit andthe bride say, “Come!” Whoever hears, let him say, “Come!”Whoever is thirsty, let him come! Whoever desires, let himdrink freely of the water of life!

18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy inthis book: if any man adds to them, God will add to him theplagues that are written in this book. 19And if any man takesaway any of the words from this book of prophecy, God willtake away his part in the book of life, the holy city, and thethings that are written in this book.

20He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I amcoming soon!”

Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus!

21May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!

Amen.



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Psalms

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of theungodly, and does not stand around with sinners, or sit

together with scoffers. 2Instead, his delight is in the law of theLORD. On His law he meditates both day and night. 3He is likea tree that is planted by streams of water, which bears its fruitin season. His leaves will not wither, and he will prosper in allthat he does.

4Not so with the ungodly! They are like chaff that the windblows away. 5 The ungodly will not escape judgment, and sin-ners will not stand in the assembly of the righteous. 6For theLORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the un-godly will perish.

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 Thekings of the earth stand opposed, and the rulers make

plans together against the LORD and against His AnointedOne, saying, 3“We will rebel! We will tear off these chains andthrow off these shackles!”

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs. The Lord mocksthem. 5He will rebuke them in His wrath, and He will terrifythem in His fury. 6He will say, “I have set My King on Zion, Myholy mountain.”

7I will declare the decree of the LORD: “The LORD said toMe, ‘You are My Son, today I have become Your Father. 8Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, andthe ends of the earth for Your possession. 9You will break themwith an iron scepter, and will smash them like clay pottery.’”

10 Therefore, O kings, act wisely! Be warned, O rulers of theearth! 11Serve the LORD with reverence, and rejoice with trem-bling. 12Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in your

1

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Psalm 3-4

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ways, for His wrath can flare up quickly. Blessed are all thosewho put their trust in Him!

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.

LORD, how countless are my enemies! How numerous arethose who rise up against me! 2How numerous are those

who say of my soul, “God will not deliver him.” Selah (Pause)153

3But You, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, andthe lifter of my head. 4I cried out to the LORD with my voice,and He heard me from His holy mountain. Selah

5I lie down and sleep, then I wake up again, because theLORD sustains me. 6I am not afraid of the tens of thousands of people who have set themselves against me on every side.

7Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! For You have struck allmy enemies on the jaw. You have broken the teeth of theungodly. 8Victory comes from the LORD! May Your blessing be

upon Your people. Selah

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To beaccompanied by stringed instruments.

Answer me when I call, O my righteous God! When I washemmed in, You made a wide opening. Have mercy on me,

and answer my prayer.

2How long, O men, will you continue to dishonour me? Howlong will you love foolish things and chase after lies? Selah

153 The exact meaning of Selah is not known. It could mean apause, rest, or interlude; a pause where one would reflect andmeditate on what was said (Psalm 9:16). It could also be some

sort of musical term, meaning: to hold the note, to sing it loud-ly, to gradually get louder and louder or quieter and quieter; arepeat, where you would repeat that line or verse.

3

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Psalm 5

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3Know this: the LORD has set apart the godly for Himself.Indeed, the LORD will hear me when I call out to Him.

4When you are angry, do not sin. Instead, quietly search your heart as you lie in bed. Selah

5Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in theLORD.

6Many say, “Who can show us anything good?” O LORD, letthe light of Your face shine upon us! 7You have put more joy inmy heart than those who have bountiful harvests of grain and

new wine. 8I will lie down and sleep peacefully, for You alone,O LORD, make me live in safety.

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To beaccompanied by the flute.

Listen to my words, O LORD, consider my innermostthoughts. 2Hear the sound of my cry, my King and my God,

for I pray to You. 3In the morning You will hear my voice, OLORD. In the morning I will bring my requests before you, and Iwill wait expectantly.

4O God, You are not pleased with wickedness. Evil cannotdwell with You. 5 The arrogant will not stand in Your sight. Youhate all evildoers. 6You will destroy those who speak lies. TheLORD detests a bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7But as for me, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness Iwill enter Your house. I will bow toward Your holy temple inreverence of You. 8Lead me in Your righteousness, O LORD, sothat my enemies will not triumph over me. Make Your pathstraight before me.

9For there is no truth in their mouth. Their hearts are ut-terly wicked. Their throat is an open grave. They flatter withtheir tongues. 10Hold them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their

own schemes. Cast them out, because of their many sins, forthey have rebelled against You.

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Psalm 6-7

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11But let all those who trust in You be glad! Let them con-tinually shout for joy, because You defend them. Let those wholove Your name rejoice in You. 12For You, O LORD, will bless therighteous. Like a shield, You will surround them with favour.

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To beaccompanied by stringed instruments. To be

accompanied by an eight-stringed lyre.

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me

in Your wrath! 2

Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am fee-ble! Heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in anguish! 3My soul isin deep anguish! How long, O LORD, how long until You cometo my aid?

4 Turn, O LORD, and rescue my soul! Save me for the sakeof Your lovingkindness. 5For in death there is no memory of You. Who will give You thanks from the grave?

6I am exhausted from my groaning. All night long I soak mypillow with weeping, and drench my bed with tears. 7My eyesdeteriorate from grief. They grow dim because of all myenemies.

8Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity, for the LORDhas heard the sound of my weeping. 9 The LORD has heard mypetition. The LORD will accept my prayer. 10Let all my enemiesbe ashamed and full of anguish! Let them turn back and besuddenly ashamed!

A song of David, which he sang to the LORD concerningthe words of Cush the Benjamite.

O LORD my God, in You do I take refuge. Save me from allwho persecute me—rescue me! 2Otherwise, he will tear me

apart like a lion. He will rip me to pieces, and no one will beable to rescue me. 3O LORD my God, if I have done wrong, if

there is guilt on my hands, 4if I have betrayed a friend by

6

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Psalm 8

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repaying him evil for good, or if I have unjustly plunderedsomeone who was not my enemy, 5then let my enemy pursueme until he overtakes me. Let him trample my life into theground, and lay my honour in the dust. Selah

6Arise, O LORD, in Your anger! Stand up against the rage of my enemies! Awake for me, for You have ordained justice!7Indeed, let the crowds of people gather around You, and cometake Your seat as Judge. 8For the LORD will judge the peoples.

Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and myintegrity. 9Let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,but establish the righteous. For You are a righteous God, who

examines the innermost thoughts and motives.

10My defender is God, who saves the upright in heart. 11Godis a righteous judge, and a God who is angry with the wickedevery day. 12If a man does not repent, God sharpens His sword.Indeed, He has bent His bow and made it ready. 13He hasprepared His deadly weapons. His flaming arrows are ready toshoot.

14Look, the wicked conceive evil. They become pregnant withmischief and give birth to lies. 15 They dig a pit and make itdeep, and then fall into the trap they have made. 16 Theirmischief will come back on them, and their violence will comedown on their own heads. 17But I will thank the LORD for Hisrighteousness! I will sing praise to the name of the LORD MostHigh!

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To beaccompanied by a Gittite harp.

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all theearth! Your glory is higher than the heavens!

2Out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants You haveordained praise, because of Your adversaries, that You mightsilence the enemy and the avenger.

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Psalm 9

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3Whenever I look at the heavens Your fingers have made,and see the moon and the stars You set in place, 4I ask, “Whatis man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man thatYou visit him?” 5For You have made him a little lower than theangels, and have crowned him with glory and honour. 6Youhave given him dominion over the works of Your hands. Youhave put all things under his feet: 7all the sheep and cattle andwild animals, 8the birds of the air and fish of the sea, and eve-rything that passes through the ocean currents.

9O LORD, our lord, how majestic is Your name in all theearth!

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To the tune of “Death of the Son.”

I will praise You, O LORD, with all my heart! I will declareall Your wonderful works! 2I will rejoice and be glad in You!

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!

3When my enemies retreated, they stumbled and perishedbefore You. 4For You upheld my just cause; You sat on Yourthrone and judged righteously. 5You have rebuked the nations.You have destroyed the wicked. You have blotted out theirnames forever and ever. 6My enemies are no more; they havebeen completely destroyed. You have uprooted their cities, andall memory of them is gone.

7But the LORD reigns forever! He has established His

throne for judgment. 8He judges the world with righteousness.He fairly administers judgment for the people. 9 The LORD is arefuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 10 Thosewho know Your name will trust You, O LORD, for You have notforsaken those who seek You.

11Sing praises to the LORD, who reigns in Zion! Declare Hisworks among the people! 12For He who avenges murder remem-bers; He has not forgotten the cries of the afflicted.

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Psalm 10

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13Have mercy on me, O LORD! See how I suffer at the handsof those who hate me. Lift me up from the gates of death, 14sothat I may declare all Your praises. In the gates of the daugh-ter of Zion, let me rejoice in Your salvation.

15 The nations have fallen into the pit they have made, andtheir feet are caught in the net they have hidden. 16 The LORDmakes His character known by the judgment He executes. Thewicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion(meditation) Selah (Pause)

17 The wicked will go down to hell, so will all the nations that

forget God. 18 The needy will not always be forgotten, and thehope of the poor will not perish forever.

19Arise, O LORD! Do not let man prevail! Let the nations be judged in Your presence. 20Strike them with terror, O LORD!Let the nations know that they are only mortal men! Selah

Why, O LORD, do You stand so far away? Why do You

hide Yourself in times of trouble?

2 The wicked arrogantly hunt down the afflicted; let them becaught in the schemes they have devised. 3 The wicked bragabout their selfish ambitions, and those who are greedy curseand despise the LORD. 4 The wicked, with their arrogant coun-tenance, will not seek God. God is not in any of their thoughts.5 Their ways are always twisted, and Your laws are far fromtheir sight. They scoff at all their enemies. 6 They say in their

hearts, “We will be secure from generation to generation with-out any troubles.”

7 Their mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and oppression. Undertheir tongue is mischief and wickedness. 8 They lie in ambushnear the villages, waiting to murder the innocent. Their eyesare always looking for helpless victims. 9 They wait like a lionhiding in the thickets. They wait to catch the helpless. Theycatch the helpless and drag them off in their nets. 10 Their vic-

tims are thrown down and crushed, defeated by those strongerthan them. 11In their hearts the wicked say, “God is not paying

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Psalm 11

538

attention. His face is turned away. He does not see what ishappening.”

12Arise, O LORD! Lift up Your hand, O God, and punish thewicked! Do not forget the afflicted! 13Why do the wicked de-spise God? In their hearts they say, “God will not hold me ac-countable.” 14You, however, have seen their conduct. You havenoticed their mischief and anger, and will punish them ac-cordingly. The helpless entrust themselves to You. You are thehelper of the fatherless. 15Break the arm of the wicked and theevildoer! Call their wickedness into account and fully punishthem.

16 The LORD is King forever and ever. The godless nationswill perish from His land. 17O LORD, You have heard the de-sires of the afflicted. You will strengthen their hearts. You willlisten carefully to them. 18You will defend the fatherless and theoppressed, so that no earthly mortal may terrify them again.

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

I take refuge in the LORD! Therefore, how can you sayto me, “Flee to the mountains like a bird! 2Look, the

wicked bend their bow. They place their arrow on the string, sothat they may secretly shoot at the upright in heart. 3If thefoundations of law and order fall apart, what can the righteousdo?”

4 The LORD is in His holy temple. The LORD’s throne is in

heaven. His eyes see everything. He closely examines the sonsof men. 5 The LORD tests the righteous, but His soul hates thewicked and those who love violence. 6Upon the wicked He willrain down snares, fire, and brimstone; a scorching wind will bethe portion of their cup. 7For the LORD is righteous, and Heloves righteousness. The upright will see His face.

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Psalm 12-13

539

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To beaccompanied by an eight-stringed lyre.

Help, O LORD, for the godly have disappeared! The faith-ful have vanished from among the sons of men! 2Every-

one lies to their neighbour; with flattering lips and a doubleheart they speak.

3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue thatspeaks proud and boastful things. 4 These people say, “With ourtongues we will be victorious. Our lips are our own—who is ourmaster?”

5But the LORD replies, “Because of the oppression of thepoor, because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise! Iwill rescue them from those who ensnare them.” 6 The words of the LORD are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purifiedseven times.

7You, O LORD, will be a hedge around the poor and needy.You will protect them from this evil generation forever. 8 The

wicked prowl about on every side, when vileness is exaltedamong the sons of men.


How long will You forget me, O LORD? Forever? Howlong will You hide Your face from me? 2How long must I

continue making decisions on my own? Oh, what sorrow fills

my heart! How long will my enemies be exalted over me?

3Look at me! Answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to myeyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death! 4Otherwise, my enemieswill say, “I have overcome him!” Then my foes will rejoice at mydownfall.

5But as for me, I have trusted in Your lovingkindness. In-deed, my heart will rejoice in Your deliverance. 6I will sing to

the LORD, because He has been generous to me.

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Psalm 14-15

540


The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Theyare corrupt, and their deeds are detestable. There is noone who does good.

2 The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men tosee if there is anyone who understands, if there is anyone whoseeks God. 3All have gone astray, all have become corrupt.

There is no one who does good, not even one!

4Do all the workers of wickedness—who eat up My people asthey eat bread, and do not call on the LORD—have any knowl-edge? 5Fear and terror await them, because God is with thosewho are righteous. 6You have humiliated the afflicted, but theLORD is their refuge.

7Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! Whenthe LORD restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob will re-

joice, and Israel will be glad!

A psalm of David.

O LORD, who may visit Your sanctuary? Who may dwellon Your holy mountain?

2He who walks uprightly, practices righteousness, andspeaks the truth from his heart. 3He does not slander with histongue. He does not harm his friend. He does not insult his

neighbour. 4He despises those who are vile, but honours thosewho revere the LORD. He keeps his oath even when it hurts,and does not go back on his word. 5He lends his money with-out charging interest. He does not take a bribe against theinnocent.

He who does these things will never be shaken.

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Psalm 16-17

541

A poem of David.

Protect me, O God, for I have put my trust in You.2I have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord! Apart from You,

I have nothing good.” 3As for the saints in the land, they arethe noble ones in whom is all my delight. 4 Those who run afterother gods increase their sorrows. I will not present their drinkofferings of blood, or speak their names with my lips.

5 The LORD is my allotted portion and my cup. You make mylot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasantplaces. Indeed, I have a wonderful inheritance! 7I will bless theLORD who counsels me. Even at night He instructs my heart.8I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at myright hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. Further-more, my body will rest in hope. 10For You will not leave my soulamong the dead, or let Your Holy One see decay. 11You will makeknown to me the path of life. You will fill me with joy in Your

presence. At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

A prayer of David.

Hear, O LORD, my plea for justice! Pay attention to mycry! Listen to my prayer, which does not come from de-

ceitful lips. 2Pronouce the verdict of my innocence, for Youreyes see what is right.

3You have tested my heart. You have examined me duringthe night. You have tried me and found nothing. I have deter-mined that I will not sin with my mouth. 4As for the works of men—by the word of Your lips, I have kept myself from the pathsof the violent. 5My steps have closely followed Your paths. Myfeet have not slipped.

6I have called on You, O God, because You will answer me.

Turn Your ear to me and hear my words. 7Show me the won-

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Psalm 18

542

ders of Your lovingkindness, for with Your right hand You savethose who trust in You—You save them from their enemieswho rise up against them. 8Protect me as You would protectthe pupil of Your eye. Hide me under the shadow of Yourwings. 9Protect me from the wicked who oppress me, from myruthless enemies who surround me. 10 They close up their hard-ened hearts. They speak arrogantly with their mouths. 11 Theyhave tracked me down, and they now surround me. They havefixed their eyes on me, and they intend to throw me to theground. 12Like hungry lions, they desire to tear me apart. Like

young lions, they secretly wait in ambush.

13Arise, O LORD, confront them! Throw them down! WithYour sword, deliver my soul from the wicked! 14With Your hand,O LORD, deliver me from men—from men of this world, whoseportion is in this life. You fill their bellies with Your provision,their sons are satisfied, and they leave their wealth to theirchildren.

15However, as for me, I will see Your face in righteousness! Iwill be satisfied when I awake and see Your appearance!

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. He sang the words of this song to the LORDon the day the LORD delivered him from the hand of all

his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

I love You, O LORD, my strength! 2 The LORD is my rock,

my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, inwhom I take refuge. He is my shield, and the horn (strength) of my salvation, my high tower.

3I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, andI will be saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death entangled me, and the torrents of de-struction terrified me. 5 The cords of the grave wrapped around

me, and the snares of death trapped me. 6In my distress Icalled upon the LORD. I cried out to my God. From His sanctu-ary He heard my voice. My cry reached His ears.

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Psalm 18

543

7 Then the earth trembled and quaked. The foundations of the mountains shook. They trembled because He was angry.8Smoke billowed from His nostrils, and a devouring fire camefrom His mouth, setting coals ablaze. 9He lowered the heavensand came down. Dark clouds were under His feet. 10He rode ona cherub, and flew swiftly on the wings of the wind. 11He wrap-ped Himself in darkness. His canopy around Him was dark,dense, rain clouds. 12Flashes of lightning went before Him. Hisdense clouds rained down hailstones and burning coals. 13 TheLORD thundered from heaven. The Most High raised His voiceamid the hailstones and burning coals. 14He shot His arrowsand scattered His enemies. He shot His lightning and threw

them into confusion. 15At Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast-ing breath of Your nostrils, the bottom of the sea became vis-ible, and the foundations of the earth were exposed.

16He reached down from above and grabbed me. He pulledme out of deep waters. 17He rescued me from my powerful en-emies, and from those who hated me, for they were too strongfor me. 18 They attacked me in my time of distress, but theLORD was my protector. 19He brought me out into a spacious

place. He rescued me, because He was pleased with me.

20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteous-ness. He has repaid me according to the cleanness of myhands. 21For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have notwickedly departed from my God. 22All His laws are before me,and I have not turned from His decrees. 23I have been uprightbefore Him, and I have kept myself from sin. 24 Therefore theLORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, ac-

cording to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25With the merciful, You will show Yourself merciful. Withthe upright, You will show Yourself upright. 26With the pure,You will show Yourself pure. With the perverse, You will showYourself hostile. 27You will rescue those who are afflicted, butwill humble those with proud eyes. 28O LORD, You keep mylamp burning. My God illuminates the darkness around me.29With You I can charge a troop of men. With my God I can

scale a wall.



Psalm 18

544

30As for God, His way is perfect. The word of the LORD isflawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 31Forwho is God, except the LORD? Who is the Rock, except ourGod? 32It is God who clothes me with strength, and makes myway perfect. 33He makes my feet like those of a deer, andcauses me to stand on the mountain heights. 34He trains myhands for battle, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.35You have given me the shield of Your salvation. Your righthand sustains me. Your favour makes me great. 36You made awide path for my feet, so that I do not slip.

37I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not

turn back until they were defeated. 38I struck them down, andthey could not get back up. They fell beneath my feet. 39Youclothed me with strength for battle, and made my enemies fallbefore me. 40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,and I destroyed those who hated me. 41 They cried out for help,but there was no one to save them. They cried out to theLORD, but He did not answer them. 42I ground them to pow-der, like dust in the wind. Like dirt in the street, I swept themaway.

43You have delivered me from the attacks of the people. Youhave made me the head of the nations. A people whom I havenot known serve me. 44Foreigners submit to me. As soon asthey hear of me, they obey me. 45Foreigners lose heart, andcome out of their strongholds trembling.

46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my Rock! May the God of mysalvation be exalted! 47It is God who avenges me, who subdues

nations under me. 48He delivers me from my enemies. Indeed,You exalt me above those who rise up against me. You rescueme from violent men. 49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, OLORD, among the nations, and I will sing praises to Your name.50He gives great victories to His king, and shows lovingkind-ness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.



Psalm 19-20

545

To the choir director: A psalm of David.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skiesproclaim His handiwork. 2Day after day they contin-ually speak; night after night they display knowledge. 3 Theyspeak without using words; their voice is not heard. 4 Theirmessage has gone throughout all the earth, their words to theends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for thesun. 5It comes out of its chamber like a radiant bridegroom.Like a champion, it is excited to run its course. 6It rises fromone end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other end;nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul. Thetestimony of the LORD is sure, making the foolish wise. 8 Theprecepts of the LORD are right, making the heart merry. Thecommands of the LORD are pure, giving light to the eyes. 9 Thereverence of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The laws of the LORD are true; they are altogether righteous. 10 They aremore precious than gold, even the purest of gold; sweeter thanhoney, even honey dripping from the comb. 11Moreover, by them

Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

12Who can discern all his errors? Cleanse me from all un-conscious sins. 13Also keep Your servant from wilful sins. Letthem not have dominion over me! Then I will be upright, and Iwill be innocent of great transgression. 14Let the words of mymouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Yoursight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.


May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! Maythe name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2May He

send you help from His sanctuary, and give you support fromZion! 3May He remember all your sacrifices, and accept yourburnt offerings. Selah

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Psalm 21

546

4May He give you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all yourplans. 5May we shout for joy over your victory, and lift up ourbanners in the name of our God. May the LORD fulfill all yourpetitions.

6Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed king. He willanswer him from His holy heaven, with the saving strength of His right hand. 7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses,but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. 8 Theywill collapse and fall, but we will rise up and stand firm.

9Save us, O LORD! May the King answer us when we call.


The king rejoices in Your strength, O LORD! How great-ly he rejoices in Your deliverance! 2You have given him

his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of hislips. Selah

3For You go before him with blessings of goodness, and puta crown of pure gold on his head. 4He asked You for life, andYou gave it to him—long life forever and ever. 5His honour isgreat, because of Your deliverance. Splendour and majesty Youhave bestowed upon him. 6For You have blessed him andmade him a blessing forever. You have made him glad with the

joy of Your presence. 7For the king trusts in the LORD, andthrough the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not beshaken.

8Your hand will catch all Your enemies. Your right hand willcatch those who hate You. 9You will make them like a fiery fur-nace in the time of Your anger. The LORD will swallow themup in His wrath, and fire will devour them. 10You will destroytheir offspring from the earth, their descendants from amongthe sons of men. 11For they plotted evil against You. They de-vised a wicked plan, but they will not succeed. 12For You willmake them turn their backs in retreat when You aim Your bow

at their faces.

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Psalm 22

547

13Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength! We will sing andpraise Your power!

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To the tune of “Doe of the Dawn.”

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why areYou so far from helping me, so far from the words of

my groaning? 2O my God, by day I cry out, but You do not an-swer; by night, but I find no rest. 3Yet You are holy, enthronedon the praises of Israel. 4Our fathers trusted in You. Theytrusted, and You delivered them. 5 They cried out to You, andescaped. They trusted in You, and were not put to shame.

6But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned by men anddespised by people. 7All who see me mock me. They insult mewith their lips. They shake their heads and say, 8“He trusts inthe LORD! Let Him deliver him! Let Him rescue him, since Hedelights in him!”

9But You are the One who took me out of the womb. Youmade me trust in You when I was on my mother’s breasts. 10Iwas cast upon Your protection and care from birth. From mymother’s womb You have been my God. 11Do not be far fromme! For trouble is near, and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashanhave encircled me. 13 They open their mouths to devour me,like hungry roaring lions. 14I am poured out like water, and all

my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it melts withinme. 15My strength is dried up like broken pottery, and mytongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have placed me inthe dust of death. 16Dogs have surrounded me. A crowd of evil-doers has hemmed me in. They have pierced my hands and myfeet. 17I can count all my bones. People look and stare at me.18 They divide my garments among them, and cast lots for myclothing.

19O LORD, do not remain far off! O my Strength, comequickly to my aid! 20Deliver my soul from the sword, my pre-cious life from the power of these dogs! 21Save me from the

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Psalm 23

548

mouth of these lions! Rescue me from the horns of these wildoxen! You have answered me!

22I will declare Your name to my brothers! In the midst of the congregation I will praise You! 23All who revere the LORD,praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him! Standin awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel! 24For He has notneglected or ignored the suffering of the afflicted. He has nothidden His face from them, but has listened to their cries forhelp.

25Because of You, I will give praise in the great congre-

gation. I will fulfill my vows before those who revere You. 26 Theafflicted will eat and be satisfied. Those who seek the LORDwill praise Him. Their hearts will enjoy life forever. 27All theends of the earth will remember the LORD and will turn toHim. All the families of the nations will worship before Him.28For kingship belongs to the LORD. He rules over the nations.

29All people, rich and poor, will eat and worship. All thosewho go down to the dust will bow down before Him—those who

cannot keep themselves alive. 30Our descendants will serve Him.Future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will goand declare His righteousness to a generation not yet born.

They will proclaim what He has done!

A psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2He makes

me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me besidestill waters. 3He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of right-eousness for His name’s sake.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Yourstaff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me in the presence of my ene-

mies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. 6

Surely

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Psalm 24-25

549

goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, andI will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

A psalm of David.

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it; the world,and those who live in it. 2For He founded it on the seas,

and established it on the waters.

3Who may go up to the mountain of the LORD? Who canstand in His holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pureheart, who has not lifted up his soul to what is false, and whohas not sworn an oath deceitfully. 5He will receive a blessingfrom the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salva-tion. 6Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seekYour face, O God of Jacob. Selah

7Lift up your heads, O you gates! Be lifted up, O you an-cient doors, so that the King of glory may come in! 8Who is thisKing of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty

in battle! 9Lift up your heads, O you gates! Be lifted up, O youancient doors, so that the King of glory may come in! 10Who isthis King of glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of glory!Selah

A psalm of David.

Unto You, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. 2O my God, I

trust in You. Do not let me be ashamed. Do not let myenemies triumph over me. 3Let no one who waits on You beashamed, but let those who sin without cause be ashamed.

4Show me Your ways, O LORD, teach me Your paths. 5Leadme in Your truth, and teach me, for You are the God of my sal-vation. I wait for You all day long. 6Remember, O LORD, Yourtender mercies and Your lovingkindness, for they are from ever-lasting. 7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my trans-

gressions. For the sake of Your goodness, O LORD, rememberme according to Your lovingkindness!

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Psalm 26

550

8Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He will instructsinners in His ways. 9He will guide the humble in what is right,and will teach them His ways. 10All the ways of the LORD arefull of lovingkindness and faithfulness, for those who keep Hiscovenant and His decrees.

11For Your name’s sake, O LORD, forgive my sin, for it isgreat. 12Who is the man who reveres the LORD? God will in-struct him in the ways he should choose. 13His soul will live inprosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land. 14 The inti-mate fellowship of the LORD is for those who revere Him, andHe will show them His covenant. 15My eyes are always on the

LORD, for He will pull my feet out of the net.

16 Turn to me, and have mercy on me, for I am lonely andoppressed. 17 The anguish of my heart has increased; bring meout of my distress. 18Look on my affliction and pain, and for-give all my sins. 19See my enemies; they are many! They hateme with violent hatred. 20Protect my soul, and deliver me. Donot let me be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. 21Show Your-self upright and perfect; preserve me, for I wait on You.

22Deliver Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

A psalm of David.

Judge me favourably, O LORD, for I have walked in in-tegrity. I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

2Examine me, O LORD, and search me; test the motives of my

heart. 3For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I havewalked in Your truth. 4I do not associate with deceitful men orfellowship with hypocrites. 5I hate the gatherings of evildoers,and I will not associate with the wicked. 6I will wash my handsin innocence, and I will walk around Your altar, O LORD. 7Iwill raise my voice in thanksgiving, and I will tell of all Yourwonderful works. 8O LORD, I love the sanctuary where Youlive, the place where Your glory dwells.

9

Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, or my life withbloodthirsty men. 10For they carry out wicked schemes, and

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Psalm 27

551

their right hands are full of bribes. 11But as for me, I will walkwith integrity. Deliver me, and be merciful to me. 12My feetstand on level ground. In the great congregation I will bless theLORD.

A psalm of David.

The LORD is my light and my salvation. Whom will Ifear? The LORD is the strength of my life. Whom will I

dread? 2When evildoers advance against me to devour my flesh,my enemies and foes will stumble and fall. 3If an army is en-camped against me, my heart will not fear. If war breaks outagainst me, I will remain confident.

4 This is the one thing I ask of the LORD, which I earnestlydesire: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,to see the LORD’s beauty, and to seek Him in His sanctuary.5For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His dwelling. Hewill conceal me in the shelter of His sanctuary. He will placeme on a high rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above my

enemies who surround me, and I will offer sacrifices at Hissanctuary with shouts of joy. I will sing, yes, I will sing praisesto the LORD.

7Hear me, O LORD, when I cry out with my voice! Have mer-cy on me, and answer me! 8When You said, “Seek My face,” myheart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I will seek.” 9Do nothide Your face from me, do not turn Your servant away in an-ger, for You have been my helper. Do not abandon me or for-

sake me, O God of my salvation! 10Even if my father andmother forsake me, the LORD will take me in.

11 Teach me Your ways, O LORD, and lead me on a levelpath because of my enemies. 12Do not hand me over to the de-sires of my enemies, for false witnesses have risen up againstme, such as breathe out violence. 13I would have fainted, if Ihad not believed that I would see the LORD’s goodness in theland of the living.

14Wait on the LORD! Be of good courage, and He willstrengthen your heart! Yes, wait on the LORD!

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Psalm 28-29

552

A psalm of David.

To You, O LORD, I cry out! O my Rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if You remain silent, I will be like thosewho go down to the pit. 2Listen to the sound of my petitionswhen I cry out to You, when I lift up my hands toward YourMost Holy Place.

3Do not drag me off with the wicked, with those who do evil,who speak peace to their neighbours while evil is in theirhearts. 4Repay them for their deeds, and for their wicked en-deavours. Repay them for what their hands have done, andgive them what they deserve. 5For they do not consider theworks of the LORD or what His hands have done. Therefore Hewill tear them down, and will not build them up again.

6Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the sound of mypetitions! 7 The LORD is my strength and my shield. My hearttrusts in Him, and He helps me. Therefore my heart rejoices,and with my song I will praise Him.

8 The LORD is the strength of His people. He is a fortress of salvation for me, His anointed king. 9Save Your people andbless Your inheritance! Be their shepherd and carry them inYour arms forever!

A psalm of David.

Acknowledge the LORD, O heavenly angels, acknowl-

edge the LORD’s glory and strength! 2Acknowledge theLORD for the glory of His name! Worship the LORD, because of His holy splendour!

3 The voice of the LORD is heard over the sea. The God of glory thunders. The voice of the LORD thunders over the mightysea. 4 The voice of the LORD is powerful. The voice of the LORDis majestic. 5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars. Yes, thevoice of the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon. 6He makes

the mountains of Lebanon to leap like a calf; Mount Hermon

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Psalm 30

553

like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the LORD strikes withflashes of lightning. 8 The voice of the LORD shakes the wilder-ness. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.9 The voice of the LORD frightens the deer, so that they givebirth prematurely. The voice of the LORD strips the forest bare.And in His temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” 10 The LORD sitsenthroned over the deluge of rain. Indeed, the LORD sits en-throned as King forever.

11 The LORD gives strength to His people. The LORD blessesHis people with peace.

A psalm of David. A song used at the dedicationof the temple.

I will exalt You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, andhave not let my enemies rejoice over me. 2O LORD, my

God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. 3O LORD, You havebrought up my soul from the grave. You have kept me alive, sothat I would not go down to the pit.

4Sing praises to the LORD, O you saints of His, and givethanks as you remember His holiness. 5For His anger last onlya moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime. Weeping may last forthe night, but shouts of joy will come in the morning!

6In my prosperity, I once said, “I will never be moved.” 7ByYour favour, O LORD, You made me to stand as firm as a strongmountain. But then You hid Your face from me, and I was

terrified. 8I cried out to You, O LORD. To the LORD I made mypetition: 9“What will You gain if my blood is shed, if I go downto the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?10Hear me, O LORD, and have mercy on me! O LORD, be myhelper!”

11You have turned my mourning into dancing. You haveremoved my sackcloth, and have clothed me with gladness.12 Therefore my heart will sing praise to You, and will not be

silent. O LORD, my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

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Psalm 31

554


I put my trust in You, O LORD! Let me never be a-shamed! Deliver me in Your righteousness! 2 Turn Yourear to me, and rescue me quickly! Be my rock of refuge, astrong fortress to save me! 3You, indeed, are my rock and myfortress. Lead me, therefore, and guide me for Your name’ssake. 4Pull me out of the net they have laid for me, for You aremy refuge. 5Into Your hands I commit my spirit, for You haveredeemed me, O LORD God of truth.

6I hate those who worship worthless idols. As for me, I trustin the LORD. 7I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,for You have seen my misery. You have known the troubles of my soul, 8and You have not handed me over to my enemies.Instead, You have set my feet in a spacious place.

9Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in distress. My eyesare deteriorating from grief—my soul and body as well. 10Mylife is consumed with grief, and my years with groaning. Mystrength fails me because of my sin, and my bones waste

away. 11I am ridiculed by all my enemies, especially my neigh-bours. My acquaintances dread me, and those who see me inthe streets flee from me. 12Like a dead man, I am forgottenfrom their hearts. I am discarded like broken pottery. 13For Ihave heard the slander of many. Terror is all around me! Theyconspire together against me, plotting to take my life.

14But I trust in You, O LORD! I say, “You are my God!” 15Myfuture is in Your hands. Rescue me from the hands of my ene-

mies, from those who persecute me. 16Make Your face to shineupon Your servant. Save me in Your lovingkindness. 17Let menot be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You. Let thewicked be ashamed. Let them be silent in the grave. 18Let theirlying lips be silenced, for they speak arrogantly against therighteous with pride and contempt.

19How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up forthose who revere You, which You have prepared in the sight of

all men, for those who trust in You. 20

In the shelter of Your

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presence You will protect them from the plots of men. In Yourdwelling place You will hide them from accusing tongues.

21Blessed be the LORD, for He showed His wonderful loving-kindness to me while in a besieged city. 22For in my alarm, Isaid, “I am cut off from before Your eyes!” Nevertheless, Youheard the sound of my petitions when I cried out to You.

23Love the LORD, all you saints of His! The LORD preservesthe faithful, but the arrogant He repays in full. 24Be of goodcourage, and He will strengthen your heart, all you who hopein the LORD!

A psalm of David. For the purpose of instruction.

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sinis covered! 2Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD

does not count against him, and in whose spirit is no deceit!

3When I kept silent and did not confess my sin, my bones

wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4Day and night Yourhand was heavy upon me. My strength dried up like a summerdrought. Selah

5 Then I confessed my sin to You. I did not cover up my in-iquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.”And then You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6 Therefore, let all those who are godly pray to You while

there is still time. Then the great floodwaters of judgment willnot touch them. 7You are my hiding place. You will protect mefrom trouble. You will surround me with songs of deliverance.Selah

8I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.I will counsel you and keep my eye upon you. 9Do not be like ahorse or mule, without understanding, which must be con-trolled by bit and bridle to make them obey you.

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10Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but lovingkindnesssurrounds those who trust in the LORD. 11Rejoice in the LORD,and be glad, O you righteous! Shout for joy, all you upright inheart!

Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, for it is fitting forthe upright to praise Him! 2Praise the LORD with the

harp! Make music to Him with the ten-stringed lyre! 3Sing toHim a new song! Play skilfully amid shouts of joy! 4 The word of the LORD is right, and all His works are done in faithfulness.5He loves righteousness and justice. The earth is full of the

LORD’s lovingkindness.

6By the word of the LORD the heavens were created, and bythe breath of His mouth all the stars were made. 7He gatheredthe waters of the ocean into their place, and stored its deepwaters in vast reservoirs. 8Let the whole earth revere the LORD!Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him! 9ForHe spoke, and it came into existence! He commanded, and itappeared!

10 The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations, and foils theplans of the peoples. 11But the LORD’s plans stand firm forever,the plans of His heart from generation to generation. 12Blessedis the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom He haschosen for His own inheritance.

13 The LORD looks down from heaven and sees all the sonsof men. 14From His dwelling place He looks down on all the

inhabitants of the earth. 15He made the heart of every man,and He knows the thoughts and motives of all their actions.16No king is saved by a large army, and a warrior is not deliv-ered by his great strength. 17It is useless to rely on a horse forvictory, because it cannot save you by its great strength.

18Look! The eyes of the LORD are on those who revere Him,on those who hope in His lovingkindness. 19Indeed, He deliverstheir soul from death, and keeps them alive in famine. 20Our

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soul waits for the LORD. He is our help and our shield. 21Ourheart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. 22LetYour lovingkindness rest upon us, O LORD, for we put our hopein You.

A psalm of David. When he pretended to be insanebefore Abimelech, who drove him away.

I will bless the LORD at all times. His praise will alwaysbe on my lips. 2My soul will make its boast in the LORD;

the afflicted will hear and be glad. 3Magnify the LORD with me,and let us exalt His name together.

4I sought the LORD, and He answered me. He delivered mefrom all my fears. 5We looked to Him, and became radiant with

joy; our faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried out,and the LORD heard him, and saved him from all his troubles.7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who revere Him,and He rescues them.

8 Taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the manwho trusts in Him! 9Revere the LORD, you saints of His, forthose who revere Him lack nothing. 10Even young lions some-times lack food and go hungry, but those who seek the LORDwill not lack any good thing. 11Come, O children, listen to me. Iwill teach you what it means to revere the LORD. 12Would youlike to live a long and prosperous life? 13 Then keep your tonguefrom evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn from eviland do good; seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His earslisten to their cries. 16 The face of the LORD is against thosewho do evil, to cut off all memory of them from the earth. 17 Therighteous cry out, and the LORD hears them, and delivers themfrom all their troubles. 18 The LORD is near to those who arebroken hearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD de-

livers him from them all. 20He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken.

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21Evil will kill the wicked, and those who hate the righteouswill be condemned. 22 The LORD redeems the soul of His serv-ants, and none of those who trust in Him will be condemned.

A psalm of David.

Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me!Fight against those who fight against me! 2 Take Your

shield and armour, and rise up to help me! 3Use Your spear,and stop those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your deliver-ance!” 4Let those who seek after my soul be disgraced and hu-miliated. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back in shame.5Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the LORDdriving them away. 6Let their path be dark and slippery, withthe angel of the LORD pursuing them. 7For no reason they hidtheir net for me. For no reason they dug a pit for my soul. 8Letdestruction come on them unexpectedly. Let them be caught inthe net they hid. Let them fall into it and be destroyed.

9 Then my soul will find joy in the LORD; it will rejoice in His

salvation. 10All my bones will say, “Who is like You, O LORD,who rescues the afflicted from those who are too strong forthem, and the poor and needy from those who rob them?”

11Violent witnesses rise up. They demand answers to thingsI know nothing about. 12 They repay me evil for good. My soul isdevastated. 13Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sack-cloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting, but my prayers returnedunanswered. 14I went about mourning, as if they were my friend

or brother. I bowed my head in grief, as one who mourns for amother. 15But when I stumbled, they gathered together and re-

joiced. My accusers gathered together against me, and I neversaw it coming. They slandered me, and would not stop. 16Likegodless jesters at a feast, they gnashed their teeth at me.

17Lord, how long will You watch and not respond? Rescuemy soul from their attacks, my precious life from these young

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lions. 18 Then I will give You thanks in the great congregation; Iwill praise You before all the people. 19Do not let those who aremy enemies without cause gloat over me. Do not let those whohate me for no reason look at me maliciously. 20For they do notspeak words of peace, but make up false accusations againstthe peaceful people in the land. 21 They open their mouths wideagainst me and say, “Aha! Aha! Our own eyes have seen it!”

22O LORD, You have seen all this. Do not remain silent. Donot be far from me, O Lord. 23Wake up, and rise to my defence.

Take up my cause, my God and my Lord. 24 Judge me, O LORDmy God, according to Your righteousness. Do not let them gloat

over me. 25Do not let them say in their hearts, “Aha! We gotwhat we wanted!” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed himup!”

26Let those who rejoice at my distress be disgraced and hu-miliated. Let those who magnify themselves against me beclothed with shame and dishonour. 27Let those who favour myrighteous cause shout for joy and be glad. Let them contin-ually say, “May the LORD be magnified, for He delights in the

welfare of His servant!” 28 Then my tongue will declare Yourrighteousness, Your praise all day long!

For the choir director: A psalm of David, the servant of the LORD.

Sin speaks to the wicked deep within their hearts. Thereis no fear of God before their eyes. 2 They flatter them-

selves in their own eyes, even when their iniquity is utterly de-testable. 3 The words of their mouth are wicked and deceptive.

They have stopped acting wisely and doing what is good. 4 Theyplot evil on their beds. They deliberately choose a path that isnot good. They do not reject what is evil.

5Your lovingkindness, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Yourfaithfulness to the clouds. 6Your righteousness is like the high-est mountains, Your justice is like the ocean depths. You, O

LORD, preserve both man and beast.

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7How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! The sons of men take refuge under the shadow of Your wings. 8 They arefilled from the abundance of Your house, and You allow themto drink from the river of Your pleasures. 9For with You is thefountain of life; in Your light we see light.

10Continually pour out Your lovingkindness on those whoknow You, and Your righteousness on the upright in heart. 11Donot let the foot of the arrogant trample me down, and do notlet the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12Indeed, those whopractice evil have fallen! They have been thrown down, never torise again!

A psalm of David.

Do not fret when the wicked prosper! Do not be enviousof those who do wrong! 2For they will soon be cut down

like grass. They will wither away like tender young plants.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good. Dwell in the land and feed

on His truth. 4Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your ways to the LORD! Trust in Him, and He willact. 6He will make your righteousness to shine like the dawn,and your innocence like the noonday sun.

7Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Do not fretwhen the wicked prosper in their ways, when they carry out

their evil plans.

8Refrain from anger, and turn from wrath. Do not fret—itonly leads to evil. 9For the wicked will be cut off, but those whowait on the LORD will inherit the land.

10Yet a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more;though you look for them, they will not be found. 11But themeek will inherit the land, and will delight themselves in an

abundance of peace.

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12 The wicked plot against the righteous; they gnash theirteeth at them. 13But the Lord laughs at them, for He sees thattheir day of reckoning is coming.

14 The wicked have pulled out their swords, and bent theirbows, to bring down the afflicted and needy, to kill those whowalk uprightly. 15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,and their bows will be broken.

16 The little that the righteous have is better than the wealthof many evildoers. 17For the arms of the wicked will be broken,but the LORD upholds the righteous.

18 The LORD knows all the days of the upright; their inher-itance will be forever. 19 They will not be disappointed in timesof trouble; in days of famine they will be satisfied.

20But the wicked will perish. The enemies of the LORD willvanish like the flowers of the field. They will vanish like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous are

kind and giving. 22 Those who are blessed by Him will inheritthe land, but those who are cursed by Him will be cut off.

23 The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the LORD,and He delights in his ways. 24 Though he falls, he will not beutterly cast down, for the LORD will pick him up by the hand.

25I was young and now I am old, yet I have not seen therighteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. 26Every

day the righteous are kind; they lend to others, and their chil-dren are a blessing.

27Depart from evil and do good, and you will dwell in theland forever. 28For the LORD loves justice, and He will notforsake His saints. They will be kept safe forever, but thedescendants of the wicked will be cut off. 29 The righteous willinherit the land, and will dwell in it forever.



Psalm 38

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30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom; their tonguesspeak what is just. 31 The law of their God is in their hearts;their feet will not slip.

32 The wicked keep their eyes on the righteous, seeking to killthem. 33Ultimately, the LORD will not leave them in the handsof the wicked; He will not by any means condemn them whenthe wicked pronounce them guilty.

34Wait on the LORD and keep His ways, and He will exalt you to inherit the land. Indeed, you will see the wicked cut off.

35I have seen the wicked and oppressive thriving like aflourishing tree growing in its native soil. 36Yet they passedaway; they were gone. I looked for them, but could not findthem.

37Watch the blameless, observe the upright, their future ispeace. 38Sinners, however, will be utterly destroyed. Indeed, thefuture of the wicked will be cut off.

39But the salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD.He is their fortress in times of trouble. 40 The LORD will helpthem, and will deliver them. He will deliver them from the wick-ed, and will save them, because they take refuge in Him.

A psalm of David. A reminder.

O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline

me in Your wrath. 2For Your arrows have pierced me,and Your hand has pressed down on me. 3 There is no health inmy body because of Your anger. There is no strength in mybones because of my sin. 4My iniquities loom over my head;like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. 5My woundsfester and stink because of my foolishness. 6I am bent overand full of pain. I go around mourning all day long. 7My in-sides are full of burning pain, and there is no health in mybody. 8I am feeble and utterly crushed. I groan because of the

anguish of my heart.

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9O Lord, You know all that I desire; my groaning is not hid-den from You. 10My heart is palpitating, and my strength isgone. Even the light of my eyes has left me. 11My loved ones andfriends keep their distance from me, because of my affliction.My neighbours also stand far off. 12 Those who seek my life laysnares for me. Those who seek to harm me speak wickedly. Allday long they utter lies.

13But like a deaf man, I do not hear. Like a mute, I do notspeak. 14Indeed, I have become like a man who cannot hear,like a man who cannot open his mouth in defence. 15For inYou, O LORD, do I put my hope! You will answer me, O Lord

my God! 16For I said, “Do not let them gloat over me, or boastagainst me when my foot slips.”

17I am about to fall. My pain and sorrow are continually be-fore me. 18I confess my iniquity. I am sorry for my sin. 19Butmy enemies are vigorous and strong, and many hate me for noreason. 20 They repay me evil for good; they attack me because Ifollow after good. 21Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, donot be far from me! 22Come quickly to my aid, O Lord, my sal-

vation!

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

I said, “I will guard my ways, so that I will not sin withmy tongue. I will guard my mouth with a muzzle while

the wicked are in my presence.”

2I was mute and silent. I held my peace, even from speakinggood. I became distressed and agitated. 3My heart grew hotwithin me. While I was deep in thought, my anger burned.

Then I spoke with my tongue: 4“O LORD, let me know how mylife will end! Let me know the number of my days! Let me knowhow temporary my life is! 5Look, You have made my life shortin length. My lifespan is as nothing in Your sight. Every manat his best is but a breath.” Selah

6

Man walks about like a mere shadow. All his work is fornothing. He heaps up wealth, but does not know who will get it.

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7Now, O Lord, what hope do I have? My only hope is in You!8Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not make me thescorn of fools.

9My tongue is tied; I cannot open my mouth, for You are theOne who has done this. 10 Turn aside from striking me, for Icannot bear the blows of Your hand! 11When You rebuke andpunish a man for his sin, You consume like a moth what isprecious to him. Indeed, every man is but a breath. Selah

12Hear my prayer, O LORD, and listen to my cry. Do not ig-nore my tears. For I am a foreigner residing with You, a so-

journer, as were all my fathers. 13Look away from me, that Imay have some happiness before I go away and exist no more.


I waited patiently for the LORD, and He turned to meand heard my cry. 2He lifted me out of the pit of de-

struction, out of the miry clay. He set my feet on a rock, and

gave me a firm place to stand. 3He has put a new song in mymouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear,and will put their trust in the LORD.

4Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, who does notseek help from those who are arrogant or from those who turnaside to falsehood. 5Many, O LORD my God, are the wonderfulworks that You have done. Your thoughts toward us are toonumerous to count. If I were to declare and speak of them, I

would not be able to recount them.

6Sacrifice and offering You did not desire—this You revealedto me—burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.7 Then I said, “Look, I have come! It is written about me in thescroll of the book. 8I desire to do Your will, O my God, for Yourlaw is within my heart.”

9I have proclaimed Your righteousness in the great congre-

gation. Look! I have not shut my lips, O LORD, as You know.

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10I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart. I havedeclared Your faithfulness and Your salvation. I have not con-cealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the greatcongregation.

11Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD.Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually protectme. 12Countless evils have surrounded me. My sins have over-taken me, and I cannot see. They are more numerous than thehairs of my head, and my heart fails me. 13Show me favour, OLORD, and deliver me. Come quickly, O LORD, and help me.

14Let those who seek the destruction of my soul be dis-graced and humiliated. Let those who desire my ruin be turnedback in shame. 15Let destruction be the reward of their shame,for they say, “Aha! Aha!” 16Let all those who seek You rejoiceand be glad in You. Let those who love Your salvation con-tinually say, “The LORD be magnified!”

17But as for me, I am afflicted and needy; may the Lord bemindful of me. You are my helper and my deliverer. Do not de-

lay, O my GOD!


Blessed is he who cares for the poor; the LORD will de-liver him in times of trouble. 2 The LORD will protect him

and keep him alive; he will be blessed on the earth. You willnot hand him over to the desires of his enemies. 3 The LORD

will sustain him on his sickbed. He will completely restore himfrom his bed of illness.

4I said, “O LORD, have mercy on me! Heal my soul, for I havesinned against You!” 5My enemies speak evil about me. Theysay, “When will he die, and his name perish?” 6When they cometo visit me, they speak insincerely. Their wicked hearts gathergossip. Once they leave, they spread it everywhere.

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7All who hate me whisper together against me; they plot evilagainst me. 8 They say, “An evil disease has come upon him; hewill not rise again from where he lies.” 9Even my close friendwhom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel a-gainst me.

10O LORD, have mercy on me! Raise me up, so that I may re-pay them! 11I know that You delight in me, because You havenot let my enemies triumph over me. 12Because of my integrityYou have helped me, and have set me in Your presence forever.

13Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, from everlasting to ev-

erlasting! Amen and amen!

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. For the purpose of instruction.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pantsfor You, O God! 2My soul thirsts for God, for the living

God! When can I go to the sanctuary and worship in the pres-

ence of God? 3My tears have been my food both day and night,while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4I pourout my soul when I remember the days gone by, when I used towalk with the crowds, leading the festive procession to thehouse of God, with a joyful voice of thanksgiving.

5Why are you so depressed, O my soul? Why are you sotroubled inside? Place your hope in God, for I will once againpraise Him for the help of His presence!

6O my God, my soul is troubled inside. Therefore I will re-member You from here; from the land of the Jordan, in thearea of Mount Hermon—from Mount Mizar. 7Deep calls to deepat the roar of Your waterfalls. All Your breakers and Your waveshave swept over me.

8Yet the LORD will command His lovingkindness in the day-time, and in the night His song will be with me, and I will pray

to the God of my life.

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9I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Whymust I go around mourning because of the oppression of myenemies?” 10 The taunts of my enemies cut to the bone. They sayto me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11Why are you so depressed, O my soul? Why are you sotroubled inside? Place your hope in God, for I will once againpraise my God for the help of His presence!

Be my judge, O God, and argue my case against theseungodly people. Deliver me from those who are deceit-

ful and wicked. 2For You are the God of my strength. Why haveYou rejected me? Why must I go around mourning because of the oppression of my enemies? 3Send out Your light and Yourtruth, let them guide me; let them lead me to Your holy moun-tain, to Your dwelling place. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God,to God who is my joy and gladness. I will praise You with theharp, O God, my God.

5Why are you so depressed, O my soul? Why are you so trou-

bled inside? Place your hope in God, for I will once again praisemy God for the help of His presence!

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. For the purpose of instruction.

We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers havetold us about the works You did in their days, in the

days of old. 2You uprooted the nations with Your hand, andplanted our fathers in their place. You cut down their enemies,and made our fathers to grow and flourish. 3 They did not con-quer the land by their own swords, or gain the victory by theirown strong arm. No! It was by Your right hand, Your strong arm,and the light of Your presence, because You had favour on them.

4You are my King, O God, who commands victories for Jacob!5 Through You we will push down our enemies. Through Your

name we will trample down those who rise up against us. 6Iwill not trust in my bow, and my sword will not save me. 7No!

43

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It was You who saved us from our enemies. It was You whoput our adversaries to shame. 8In God we boast all day long!Indeed, we will praise Your name forever! Selah

9But now You have rejected and disgraced us, and have notgone out with our armies. 10You made us retreat before our en-emies, and those who hate us have plundered us. 11You havehanded us over to be slaughtered like sheep, and have scat-tered us among the nations. 12You have sold Your people for apittance, and have not profited by their sale. 13You have madeus a disgrace to our neighbours, a source of mockery andridicule to those around us. 14You have made us a joke among

the nations; they shake their heads at us. 15My disgrace isbefore me all day long, and shame has covered my face, 16be-cause of the voices of those who insult and slander us, be-cause of the enemy who is out for revenge.

17All this has happened to us, but we have not forgotten Youor broken Your covenant. 18Our hearts have not turned back,and our steps have not strayed from Your path. 19Yet You havecrushed us in this place of jackals, and have covered us with

the shadow of death. 20If we had forgotten the name of our Godor stretched out our hands to another God, 21would not Godhave found this out, since He knows the secrets of the heart?22Yet for Your sake we are put to death all day long. We arecounted as sheep for the slaughter.

23Wake up! Why are You sleeping, O Lord? Get up! Do notreject us forever! 24Why do You hide Your face, and forget ouraffliction and our oppression? 25Our souls have been brought

down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. 26Arise, andhelp us! Redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness!

For the choir director: A wedding song. To the tune of “Lilies.” A psalm of the descendants of Korah. For the

purpose of instruction.

Beautiful words overflow from my heart, as I recite my

verses for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skil-ful writer.45



Psalm 46

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2Among the sons of men, you are the most handsome.Grace flows from your lips. Therefore God has blessed you for-ever. 3Strap your sword to your side, O mighty warrior, with

your splendour and majesty! 4Ride out triumphantly in yourmajesty for the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness!Let your right hand perform awesome deeds! 5Your arrows aresharp; they pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies. The na-tions fall beneath your feet.

6Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and the scep-tre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom. 7You haveloved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God,

your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above yourcompanions. 8All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes,and cassia. From out of your ivory palace comes celebration andgladness. 9King’s daughters are among your noble women. Yourbride stands at your right hand wearing gold from Ophir.

10Listen, O bride of the king. Observe, and pay close atten-tion. Forget your homeland and your father’s house, 11and theking will desire your beauty; honour him, for he is your lord.12 The daughters of Tyre will come with a gift. The rich amongthe people will seek your favour. 13In her chamber, the bridelooks glorious. Her gown is interwoven with gold. 14She will beled to the king in embroidered work. Her virgin bridesmaids,who follow her, will be brought to you. 15With gladness andrejoicing they will be led in; they will enter the king’s palace.

16Your dynasty will be great. Your sons will be princesthroughout the earth. 17I will cause your name to be remem-

bered from generation to generation. Therefore the nations willpraise you forever and ever.

For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah. To be sung soprano.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help intimes of trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, even if the

earth shakes and the mountains crumble into the depths of

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the sea, 3even if the waters roar and foam and the mountainsshake at the surging waves. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,the holy dwelling of the Most High. 5God is in the midst of her,she will not be moved. God will help her when the morningdawns. 6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; God lifts His voice,and the earth melts. 7 The LORD of Hosts is with us! The Godof Jacob is our refuge! Selah

8Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations Hehas brought on the earth. 9He makes wars to cease in every

corner of the earth. He breaks the bow, and snaps the spear.He burns the chariots with fire.

10“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted amongthe nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The LORD of Hosts is with us! The God of Jacob is our ref-uge! Selah

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

Clap your hands, all you people! Shout unto God witha voice of triumph! 2For the LORD Most High is awe-

some! He is the great King over all the earth! 3He has subduedpeoples under us, and nations under our feet. 4He has chosenour inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loved.

Selah

5God has ascended with shouts of joy. The LORD has as-cended with the sound of trumpets. 6Sing praises to God, singpraises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7For God isKing of all the earth! Sing praises with a psalm of instruction!8God reigns over the nations! God sits on His holy throne! 9 Therulers of the nations assemble, along with the people of theGod of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God. He is

highly exalted!

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A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised, in the cityof our God, on the mountain of His holiness!

2 Jerusalem is beautiful in elevation, the joy of the wholeearth—from Mount Zion, to the north of it the temple—the cityof the great King. 3God has made Himself known in her forti-fications as a high tower of refuge and defence.

4When the kings assembled, when they advanced together,5they saw her and were astonished; they became terrified andfled. 6 Trembling seized them there; anguish, like a woman giv-ing birth; 7destruction, like the ships of Tarshish breaking upin an east wind.

8What we have heard is true, we have seen it with our owneyes, in the city of the LORD of Hosts, in the city of our God.Indeed, God will establish her forever. Selah

9We have thought of Your lovingkindness, O God, in the midst

of Your temple. 10Like Your name, O God, Your praise reachesto the ends of the earth. Your right hand is full of righteous-ness. 11Let Mount Zion rejoice! Let the daughters of Judah beglad because of Your judgments!

12Walk about Zion, go around her, and count her towers.13 Take note of her defences and examine her fortresses, so that

you can tell the next generation about them. 14For this God isour God, forever and ever! He will guide us forevermore!


Hear this, all you people! Listen, all you inhabitants of the world, 2both low and high, rich and poor alike! 3My

mouth will speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart willgive you insight. 4I will turn my attention to a proverb. I will

explain my riddle with a harp.

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Psalm 50

572

5Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the wicked liein wait to surround me? 6 They trust in their wealth, and bragabout their great riches. 7Yet no man can redeem his brotherfrom death, or pay God a ransom for his own life. 8For the re-demption of their soul is too costly, and no payment will everbe sufficient enough 9for them to live forever and not experi-ence death.

10Everyone can see that the wise die, as do the foolish andthe ignorant. They all perish and leave their wealth to others.11In their hearts they think that their family’s wealth will lastforever, and that their family estates will last for endless gener-

ations. They even name their lands after themselves. 12Butman, despite his wealth, will not last. Like an animal, he toowill perish. 13 This is the fate of those who are foolish, and of their successors who delight in their mindset. Selah

14Like sheep, they are led to the grave; death will be theirshepherd. The upright will prevail over them in the morning.

Their bodies will rot, and the grave will be their home. 15ButGod will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He

will receive me. Selah

16Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, when thewealth of his household increases. 17For when he dies hecannot take anything with him. His wealth will not follow himdown to the grave. 18 Though he considers himself blessed dur-ing his lifetime, and though men praise him for his prosperity,19he will join his fathers; he will never again see the light of day. 20A wealthy man without understanding is like an ani-

mal—like an animal, he too will perish.

A psalm of Asaph.

The Mighty One, God the LORD, has spoken. He hassummoned the inhabitants of the earth from east to

west. 2From Mount Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines brightly.3Our God is coming, and He will not be silent. Fire devours be-

fore Him, a violent storm rages around Him. 4

He calls heavenand earth as witnesses, so that He may judge His people:

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Psalm 51

573

5“Gather My saints to Me, those who have made a covenantwith Me by sacrifice.” 6Let the heavens declare His righteous-ness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah

7“Listen, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I willtestify against you. I am God, your God. 8I will not rebuke youfor your sacrifices or for your burnt offerings, which are alwaysbefore me. 9I do not need bulls from your stalls or goats from

your pens, 10because every animal in the forest is Mine, andthe cattle on a thousand hills. 11I know every bird in the moun-tains, and all the animals in the field are Mine. 12If I werehungry I would not tell you, for the world is Mine and eve-

rything in it. 13Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14Let thanksgiving be your sacrifice to God, as you per-form your vows to the Most High. 15 Then call on Me in the dayof trouble, and I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.”

16But God says to the wicked: “What right do you have torecite My laws, or to mention My covenant with your mouth?17For you hate instruction, and you cast My words behind you.18When you see a thief, you delight in him. And you associate

with adulterers. 19You use your mouth for evil, and your tonguedevises deceit. 20You sit around and talk about your brother;

you slander your own mother’s son. 21When you did thesethings, I kept silent, and you thought that I was just like you.But now I will rebuke you! I will lay out all My charges against

you! 22Consider this carefully, you who forget God! Otherwise, Iwill tear you apart, and no one will be able to deliver you.23 The man who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice honours Me.

To the man who walks in My ways, I will show him the salva-

tion of God.”

For the choir director: A psalm of David. When Nathanthe prophet came to him after he had committed adultery

with Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness. According to the multitude of Your tender

mercies, blot out my transgressions. 2Wash me thoroughly frommy iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3For I acknowledge my

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Psalm 52

574

transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4Against You,only You, have I sinned. I have done what is evil in Your sight.You are justified when You speak, and faultless when You judge.5Indeed, I was born a sinner. I was a sinner from the momentmy mother conceived me. 6However, You desire truth in theinnermost thoughts of my heart, and in the depths of my heartYou teach me wisdom.

7Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and Iwill be whiter than snow. 8Let me hear joy and gladness. Letthe bones that You have crushed rejoice again. 9Hide Your facefrom my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 10Create in me a

pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11Donot cast me away from Your presence, and do not take YourHoly Spirit away from me!

12Restore to me the joy of Your salvation. Sustain me, bygiving me a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressorsYour ways, and sinners will turn back to You. 14Save me fromthe guilt of bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation; then mytongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. 15Open my lips,

O Lord, and my mouth will proclaim Your praise.

16You do not desire a sacrifice. Otherwise, I would offer one.With a burnt offering You do not take pleasure. 17 The sacrificethat God desires is a broken spirit. A broken and repentantheart, O God, You will not despise. 18In Your good pleasure,show favour to Zion; build up the walls of Jerusalem. 19 ThenYou will be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, withburnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be

offered on Your altar.

For the choir director: A psalm of David. When Doeg theEdomite went and told Saul: “David has gone to thehouse of Ahimelech.” For the purpose of instruction.

Why do you brag about evil, O mighty warrior? God’slovingkindness is with me all day long! 2Your tongue52



Psalm 53

575

plots destruction; it is like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.3You love evil more than good, and lying more than speakingthe truth. Selah

4You love all words that devour and destroy, O deceitfultongue! 5God will likewise destroy you forever. He will snatch

you up and tear you from your tent. He will uproot you fromthe land of the living. Selah

6 The righteous will see it and be in awe. They will laugh athim, saying, 7“Look! Here is the man who refused to make Godhis refuge. Instead, he trusted in his great wealth and took ref-

uge in his wickedness.”

8But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. In-deed, I will trust in God’s lovingkindness forever and ever. 9Iwill praise You forever for what You have done. In the presenceof the saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

For the choir director: A sombre song. A psalm of David.

For the purpose of instruction.

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Theyare corrupt, and have done what is detestable and

wicked. There is no one who does good. 2God looks down fromheaven on the sons of men to see if there is anyone who under-stands, if there is anyone who seeks God. 3Every one of themhas turned aside. They have all become corrupt. There is noone who does good, not even one!

4Do the workers of wickedness—who eat up My people asthey eat bread, and do not call on God—have any knowledge?5 They will be filled with fear and terror, even when there is noth-ing to fear. Indeed, God will scatter the bones of your enemies;

you will put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

6Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! WhenGod restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob will rejoice, and

Israel will be glad!

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Psalm 54-55

576

For the choir director: A psalm of David. When theZiphites went and told Saul: “Is not David hiding among

us?” To be accompanied by stringed instruments. For thepurpose of instruction.

Save me, O God, by Your name! Defend me with Yourmight! 2Hear my prayer, O God! Listen to the words of

my mouth! 3For strangers have risen up against me, and vio-lent men seek after my soul. They have not set God beforethem. Selah

4

Look, God is my helper! The Lord is the One who sustainsmy soul. 5He will repay my enemies for their evil. Destroy themin Your faithfulness.

6I will sacrifice a freewill offering to You. I will praise Yourname, O LORD, for it is good. 7For He has delivered me from allmy troubles, and my eyes have seen the defeat of my enemies.

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To beaccompanied by stringed instruments. For the purposeof instruction.

Listen to my prayer, O God! Do not ignore my petition!2Open Your ears and hear me! I make my complaint; I

am restless and distraught, 3because of the threats of the ene-my, because of the oppression of the wicked. They bring disas-ter upon me, and in their wrath they persecute me.

4My heart is distressed within me, and the terrors of deathhave fallen upon me. 5Fear and trembling have come upon me,and horror has overwhelmed me. 6I said to myself, “If only Ihad the wings of a dove, so that I could fly away and find rest!7Indeed, I would flee far away and stay in the wilderness. Selah8I would quickly escape from the raging wind and tempest.”

9O Lord, destroy and confuse their counsel! For in the city Isee violence and strife, 10which roam about its walls day andnight, causing trouble and misery in the midst of it. 11Wicked-

54

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Psalm 57

578

3When I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4I will praise God forHis word. I will put my trust in God. I will not fear what mortalman can do to me.

5All day long they twist my words; all their thoughts are evilagainst me. 6 They gather together and hide themselves; theywatch my steps, as they lie in wait for my soul. 7Will they es-cape, in spite of such wickedness? In anger, O God, cast thesepeople down!

8You have kept count of my wanderings. Put my tears in Yourbottle; are they not in Your book? 9When I cry out to You, then

my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me!

10I will praise God for His word. Indeed, I will praise the LORDfor His word. 11I will put my trust in God. I will not fear whatmortal man can do to me.

12I will fulfill my vows to You, O God. I will offer thankofferings to You. 13For You have delivered my soul from death,and have kept my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk

before God in the light of the living!

For the choir director: A poem of David. When he fledfrom Saul into the cave. To the tune of “Do not Destroy.”

Be merciful to me, O God! Be merciful to me! For mysoul trusts in You. I will take refuge in the shadow of

Your wings, until danger passes by. 2I will cry out to God Most

High, to God who accomplishes all things for me. 3He will sendhelp from heaven to deliver me; He will rebuke those who wantto devour me. SelahGod will send His lovingkindness and His truth.

4My soul is among lions. I lie down among those who burnwith rage. Their teeth are like spears and arrows, and theirtongues are like sharp swords.

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Psalm 58

579

5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be overall the earth!

6 They have prepared a net for my feet. My soul is dis-tressed. They have dug a pit for me, but they have fallen into it.Selah

7My heart is steadfast, O God! My heart is steadfast! I willsing and give praise! 8Wake up, my soul! Wake up, harp andlyre! I will wake up at dawn! 9I will praise You, O Lord, amongthe people. I will sing praises to You among the nations. 10ForYour lovingkindness reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness

to the clouds.

11Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be overall the earth!

For the choir director: A poem of David. To the tune of “Do not destroy.”

Does your silence really speak justice, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? 2No! In your hearts you

practice injustice! Your hands deal out violence in the land.

3From birth the wicked turn aside; from birth they go astrayand become liars. 4 Their poison is like the poison of a snake.

They are like a deaf viper that shuts its ears, 5refusing to listento the voice of the charmer, no matter how skilful the charmermay be.

6O God, break the teeth in their mouths! O LORD, knock outthe fangs of the young lions! 7Let them wash away like a floodof water. When they bend their bows, let their arrows fallshort. 8Let them be like a snail, which melts away as it movesalong; like a baby born dead, who never sees the sun.

9Quicker than burning thorns can heat up a pot; His wrath,like a whirlwind, will sweep away their lives. 10 The righteous

will rejoice when they see Your vengeance; they will wash their

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Psalm 59

580

feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Then people will say, “Trulythere is a reward for the righteous! Truly there is a God who

judges on earth!”

For the choir director: A poem of David. When Saul sentmen to watch his house in order to kill him.

To the tune of “Do not destroy.”

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God! Defend me fromthose who rise up against me! 2Deliver me from the

workers of iniquity! Save me from bloodthirsty men!3

Look! Theylie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves togetheragainst me, O LORD, but not because of any transgression orsin of mine. 4 They prepare to attack me, even though I havedone nothing wrong. Wake up and look! Help me! 5Awake, OLORD God of Hosts, O God of Israel, to punish all the nations.Show no mercy to those wicked traitors! Selah

6 They return at evening, growling like dogs as they prowlabout the city. 7Look what pours out of their mouths! Swordsare on their lips, for they say, “Who can hear us?” 8But You, OLORD, will laugh at them. You will scoff at all the nations. 9Omy Strength, I will wait for You! For God is my high tower. 10MyGod of lovingkindness will go before me. God will let me see thedefeat of my enemies.

11Do not slay them, or my people will forget. Instead, scatterthem by Your power; bring them down, O Lord, our shield.12Because of the sins of their mouths, and the words of their

lips, and the curses and lies they utter, let them be caught intheir pride. 13Consume them in Your wrath, consume them tillthey are no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, andto the ends of the earth. Selah

14 They return at evening, growling like dogs as they prowlabout the city. 15 They wander around looking for food, but willstay out all night unsatisfied.

16But as for me, I will sing of Your power. Indeed, I will singof Your lovingkindness in the morning. For You have been my

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Psalm 60-61

581

high tower, a refuge in the day of my trouble. 17O my Strength,I will sing praises to You! For God is my high tower, the Godwho shows me lovingkindness!

For the choir director: A poem of David. When Davidfought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab

returned and killed twelve thousand Edomites in theValley of Salt. To the tune of “Lily of the Testimony.”

For the purpose of teaching.

O God, You have rejected us. You have scattered us. Youhave been angry. Restore us again! 2You have shakenthe land and split it open. Repair its fractures, for it is quak-ing. 3You have shown Your people hard times. You have madeus drink wine that makes us stagger. 4You have raised up abanner for those who revere You, so that it may be displayedon account of the truth. Selah

5Answer us, and save us with Your right hand, so that Your

beloved ones may be delivered! 6

God has spoken in His holi-ness: “I will rejoice, I will divide up Shechem, and portion outthe valley of Succoth. 7Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine.Ephraim is the helmet of My head, and Judah is My sceptre.8Moab, however, is My washtub; on Edom I will cast My sandal,and over Philistia I will shout in triumph.”

9Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me toEdom? 10Is it not You, O God—the One who has rejected us?And You, O God—the One who did not go out with our armies?11Give us help against our enemies, for the help of man is use-less. 12 Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who willtread down our enemies.

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To beaccompanied by stringed instruments.

Hear my cry, O God! Pay attention to my prayer! 2Fromthe ends of the earth I will cry out to You when my

heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3For

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Psalm 62

582

You have been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy.4I will dwell in Your sanctuary forever. I will take refuge in theshelter of Your wings. Selah

5For You, O God, have heard my vows. You have given me theinheritance of those who revere Your name. 6You will add to thedays of the king’s life! May his years continue for many gener-ations! 7May he abide before God forever! Appoint Your loving-kindness and truth to protect him. 8 Then I will sing praises toYour name forever, as I fulfill my vows day after day.

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of David.

My soul waits quietly for God alone, for my salvationcomes from Him. 2He alone is my rock and my salva-

tion, my high tower—I will not be greatly shaken.

3How long will you attack a man? Will all of you tear himdown like a leaning wall or a tottering fence? 4Surely they planto cast him down from his high position. They delight in lies;

they bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. Selah

5O my soul, wait silently for God alone, for my hope comesfrom Him. 6He alone is my rock and my salvation, my hightower—I will not be shaken. 7In God is my salvation and myglory. God is my strong rock, my refuge. 8 Trust in Him at alltimes, O people! Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our ref-uge! Selah

9Surly men of low estate are but a breath, and men of highestate are but a delusion. When weighed on a balance, theyamount to nothing; together they are lighter than a breath of air.

10In fraud, do not trust. In extortion, do not vainly hope. If your riches increase, do not set your heart on them.

11God has spoken once; twice I have heard this: that You, O

God, are full of power; 12

that You, O Lord, are full of loving-kindness. Surely You reward every man according to his works.

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Psalm 63-64

583

A psalm of David. When he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, You are my God. Early in the morning I will seekYou. My soul thirsts for You. My flesh yearns for You, in

a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water. 2I have seenYou in the sanctuary, and have gazed upon Your power andYour glory. 3My lips will praise You, because Your lovingkind-ness is better than life. 4 Therefore, I will bless You as long as Ilive. I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5You satisfy my soul more than the richest of food. Mymouth will praise You with joyful lips, 6when I remember You onmy bed, and meditate on You during the night watches. 7In theshadow of Your wings I will sing for joy, because You have beenmy help. 8My soul clings to You. Your right hand sustains me.

9 Those who seek to destroy my life will go down into thedepths of the earth. 10 They will be given over to the power of the sword; they will be food for jackals. 11But the king will re-

joice in God. All who swear by Him will boast, but the mouth of

those who speak lies will be shut.


Hear my voice, O God, as I make my complaint! Protectmy life from my terrifying enemies! 2Hide me from the

secret plots of the wicked, from the mob of evildoers, 3whosharpen their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like ar-

rows, 4who shoot from ambush at the innocent, and who shootwithout warning and without fear. 5 They encourage one an-other in their evil plans, plotting how to secretly lay snares,saying, “Who will see our snares?” 6 They devise evil, saying, “Wehave devised the perfect plan!” The human heart and mind areindeed crafty.

63

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Psalm 65

584

7But God will shoot them with His arrows; without warningthey will be wounded. 8 Their own tongues will cause their down-fall, and all who see them will shake their heads. 9 Then all menwill fear; they will declare the works of God, and will ponder allthat He has done. 10 The righteous will be glad in the LORD,and they will trust in Him. All the upright in heart will praiseHim.

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

Praise awaits You in Zion, O God. To You we will fulfillour vows. 2All men will come to You, because You an-

swer prayer. 3Indeed, when we were overwhelmed by sin, Youatoned for our transgressions. 4Blessed are those You choose,those You invite to live in Your courts! We will be satisfied withthe goodness of Your house—Your holy sanctuary.

5You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, OGod of our salvation—the hope of all the ends of the earth, andof the farthest seas. 6By Your strength You formed the moun-

tains. You are clothed with power. 7You quieted the raging seas,their pounding waves, and the uproar of the nations. 8 Thosewho live in the remotest parts of the earth stand in awe of Yoursigns. From where the sun rises to where it sets, from east towest, You are praised.

9You visit the earth and water it, greatly enriching it withthe river of God, which is full of water, thus providing thepeople with grain, just as You have ordained. 10You soak the

ploughed ground with rain, drenching its soil. You soften it withshowers, and bless its crops. 11You crown the year with Yourbounty, and wherever You go You leave an overflow of Yourabundance. 12 The pastures in the wilderness become fertile,and the hills blossom with joy. 13Flocks clothe the meadows,and grain covers the valleys. They shout for joy and sing to-gether.

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Psalm 66

585

For the choir director: A song. A psalm.

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth! 2

Sing about thesplendour of His name! Give Him praise and glory! 3Sayto God, “How awesome are Your works! Your enemies will sub-mit to You because of Your great power. 4All the earth will bowdown and worship You! They will sing praises to You! They willsing praises to Your name!” Selah

5Come and see the works of God. His deeds are awesome to-ward the sons of men. 6He turned the Red Sea into dry land.154

His people also passed through the Jordan River on foot.155

For such deeds we rejoice in Him. 7He rules forever by Hispower. His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious belifted up with pride. Selah

8Praise our God, O you people! Let the sound of His praisebe heard! 9He has kept us alive, and has kept our feet fromslipping. 10For You, O God, have tested us. You have refinedus, as silver is refined. 11You let our enemies trap us in theirnet. You have placed a heavy burden on our backs. 12You let

our enemies trample over us. We went through fire andthrough water, but You brought us to a place of overflowingabundance.

13I will go to Your house with burnt offerings. I will fulfill myvows to You. 14I will fulfill the vows my lips have uttered, thevows that came out of my mouth when I was in trouble. 15I willoffer You burnt offerings of fattened animals, along with thefragrant smoke of rams. I will sacrifice bulls and goats. Selah

16Come and hear, all you who revere God, and I will declarewhat He has done for my soul. 17I cried out to Him with mymouth, and praised Him with my tongue. 18If I had cherishedsin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19But trulyGod has heard me. He has paid attention to the voice of myprayer. 20Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer orremoved His lovingkindness from me!

154 Exodus 14:21-22155 Joshua 3:14-17

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Psalm 67-68

586

For the choir director: A song. A psalm. To beaccompanied by stringed instruments.

May God be gracious to us, and bless us, and make Hisface to shine upon us. Selah

2May Your ways be known upon the earth, Your salvationamong all nations. 3May the peoples praise You, O God! Mayall the peoples praise You! 4May the nations be glad and singfor joy, for You judge the peoples righteously, and guide thenations of the earth. Selah

5May the peoples praise You, O God! May all the peoplespraise You! 6May the earth yield its crops. May God, our God,bless us. 7May God bless us, and may all the ends of the earthrevere Him.

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

Let God arise! Let His enemies be scattered! Let thosewho hate Him flee before Him! 2As smoke is driven

away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so letthe wicked perish at the presence of God. 3But let the right-eous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Indeed, let them re-

joice with gladness.

4Sing to God! Sing praises to His name! Exalt Him who rideson the clouds! His name is the LORD! Rejoice before Him!

5A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God inHis holy dwelling place. 6God places the lonely in families. Heleads out the captives to prosperity. But the rebellious will livein a dry land.

7O God, when You led Your people out of Egypt, when Youmarched them through the wilderness, Selah8the earth shook; the heavens also poured down rain at thepresence of God. Mount Sinai itself was moved at the presence

of God, the God of Israel. 9You, O God, showered down abun-dant gifts. You sustained Your inheritance when they were

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Psalm 68

587

weary. 10 Then You settled Your people in the Promised Land. InYour goodness, O God, You provided for Your people.

11 The Lord gave the word; great was the company of womenwho proclaimed it: 12“Kings and their armies flee—they flee!”

The women at home divided the spoil. 13 The men who sleptamong the campfires shared the plunder—doves with shinygold feathers and silver covered wings. 14When the Almightyscattered the kings in the Land of Canaan, it was like snowfalling on Mount Zalmon.

15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; the

mountains of Bashan are rugged. 16Why do You look with envy,O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, at the mountain God haschosen for His dwelling place? Indeed, the LORD will dwell thereforever! 17With thousands and millions of His chariots and an-gels the Lord came from Mount Sinai to His sanctuary.156

18When He ascended on high, He led away captives. He re-ceived tribute from men, even from the rebellious, so that theLORD God might dwell there among them.

19Blessed be the Lord, the God of our salvation, who bearsour burdens day after day. Selah20Our God is the God who saves; only from the Lord GODcomes escape from death. 21But God will crush the heads of His enemies, the hairy scalps of those who continue in theirsins. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring back My enemies from Ba-shan, I will bring them back from the depths of the Red Sea,23so that your feet may crush your enemies in blood, so thatthe tongues of your dogs may have their share!”

24 The people saw Your procession, O God—the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.157 25In front were thesingers, the musicians following behind. They were accompa-nied by young women playing tambourines. 26Bless the Lord, Odescendants of Israel! Bless God in your assemblies! 27Look!

156

2 Kings 2:11, 6:14-17157 This verse is alluding to when David brought up the Ark of the Covenant and set it in the tent that he had pitched for it.(2 Samuel 6:12-19; 1 Chronicles 15-16:3)



Psalm 69

588

There comes Benjamin, the smallest tribe, leading the proces-sion; next the leaders of Judah with their company, followedby the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.

28God has decreed that you will be strong. Display Yourstrength, O God, just as You have done before. 29Because of Your holy sanctuary in Jerusalem, kings will bring gifts to You.30Rebuke Your enemies—the wild beasts among the reeds, theherds of bulls with their calves—until they humbly bring barsof silver as tribute. Scatter the nations who delight in war.31Ambassadors will come from Egypt. Ethiopia will stretch outher hands to God.

32Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises to theLord! Selah33Sing to Him who rides across the heavens, the heavens of old. Look, He thunders with His mighty voice! 34AcknowledgeGod’s power! His power is in the clouds. His majesty is overIsrael. 35You are awesome, O God, in Your sanctuary. The Godof Israel is the One who gives strength and power to His peo-ple. Praise be to God!

For the choir director: A psalm of David. To the tune of “Lilies.”

Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to myneck. 2I am sinking down into the mud, and there is no

solid ground. I am in deep water, and the currents overwhelmme. 3I am exhausted from crying out to You. My throat is sore,

and my eyes fail, as I wait for my God. 4 Those who hate me forno reason are more numerous than the hairs of my head.

Those who want to destroy me are powerful. My enemies ac-cuse me falsely. What I did not steal, I must then restore.

5O God, You know my foolishness. My sins are not hiddenfrom You. 6O Lord GOD of Hosts, do not let those who wait onYou be put to shame because of me. O God of Israel, do not letthose who seek You be disgraced because of me. 7For Your

sake I have endured insults, and shame has covered my face.

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8I have become a stranger to my brothers, a foreigner to mymother’s sons. 9For the zeal of Your house has consumed me,and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.10When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, I was insult-ed for it. 11When I dressed in sackcloth, I was ridiculed for it.12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me, and I havebecome the song of drunkards.

13But as for me, O LORD, let my prayer come to You at anacceptable time. O God, in the abundance of Your lovingkind-ness, answer me with the truth of Your salvation. 14Rescue mefrom the mud, do not let me sink! Deliver me from those who

hate me, and from out of the deep waters. 15Do not let the cur-rents of water overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow meup. Do not let the pit shut its mouth on me.

16Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good.According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, turn to meand help me. 17Do not hide Your face from Your servant, for Iam in distress. Answer me quickly! 18Draw near to my soul,and redeem it; ransom me because of my enemies.

19You know how I am insulted, shamed, and disgraced; allmy enemies are before You. 20 Their insults have broken myheart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but therewas none, for comforters, but I found none. 21Instead, theygave me poison for my food, and for my thirst they gave mevinegar to drink.

22Let their table become a snare before them; when they are

at ease, let it become a trap. 23Let their eyes be darkened sothat they cannot see, and bend their backs continually. 24Pourout Your wrath on them, and let Your burning anger overtakethem. 25Let their house be deserted; let no one live in theirtents. 26For they persecute the one You have struck; they gos-sip about the pain of those You have wounded. 27Add iniquityto their iniquity, and do not let them come into Your righteous-ness. 28Erase them from the book of life, and do not let thembe recorded with the righteous.



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29But as for me, I am afflicted and in pain. Let Your salva-tion, O God, protect me.

30I will praise the name of God with a song, and I will mag-nify Him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the LORD morethan offering cattle, more than sacrificing a bull with its hornsand hooves. 32 The afflicted will see my deliverance and rejoice.You who seek God, let your hearts revive. 33For the LORD hearsthe needy, and does not despise His own who are prisoners.

34Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and all thatmove in them! 35For God will save Zion and will build up the

cities of Judah, so that His people may live there and possessit. 36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it, and thosewho love His name will live there.

To the choir director: A psalm of David. A reminder.

Come quickly, O God, and deliver me! Come quickly, OLORD, and help me! 2Let those who seek my life be a-

shamed and humiliated. Let those who desire my ruin be turn-ed back in disgrace. 3Let them be turned back for the rewardof their shame, for they say, “Aha! Aha!” 4Let all those who seekYou rejoice and be glad in You. Let those who love Your salva-tion always say, “Let God be magnified!” 5But as for me, I amafflicted and needy. Come quickly to me, O God. You are myhelper and my deliverer. O LORD, do not delay!

In You, O LORD, do I put my trust! Let me never beashamed! 2Deliver me in Your righteousness, and help

me to escape! Turn Your ear to me, and save me! 3Be my rockof refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to saveme, for You are my rock and my fortress. 4Deliver me, O myGod, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the crueland unjust. 5For You are my hope, O Lord GOD. You have beenmy confidence since I was young. 6I have relied on You sincebirth, when You brought me out of my mother’s womb. Indeed,

I will always praise You!

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Psalm 71

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7I have become a sign to many, because You are my strongrefuge. 8My mouth is filled with Your praise and with Your gloryall day long. 9Do not cast me off in the time of old age. Do notforsake me when my strength fails. 10For my enemies speakagainst me; those who lie in wait for my soul plot together,11saying, “God has forsaken him. Let us hunt him down andseize him, for there is no one to rescue him.”

12O God, do not be far from me! O my God, come quickly tohelp me! 13Let the enemies of my soul be ashamed and utterlydefeated. Let those who seek my ruin be covered in disgraceand humiliation. 14But as for me, I will always put my hope in

You. I will praise You more and more. 15All day long my mouthwill tell of Your righteous deeds and acts of salvation, thoughthey are too numerous for me to comprehend. 16I will go out inthe strength of the Lord GOD; I will proclaim Your righteousdeeds—Yours alone.

17O God, You have taught me since my youth, and to thisday I declare Your wonderful deeds. 18Even when I am old andgrey, O God, do not forsake me. Not until I can declare Your

strength to this generation, and Your power to all who are tocome.

19Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens. Youhave done great things, O God, who is like You? 20 Though Youhave allowed me to experience many troubles and hardships,You will revive me again. From the depths of the earth, Youwill raise me up again. 21You will increase my greatness, andYou will surround me with Your comfort.

22I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O myGod. I will sing praises to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. 23My lips will shout for joy; they will sing praises to You,as well as my soul, which You have redeemed. 24Indeed, mytongue will talk of Your righteousness all day long, for thosewho seek my ruin will be disgraced and humiliated.



Psalm 72

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A psalm of Solomon.

O God, give the king wisdom to judge justly. Give theking’s son wisdom to judge righteously. 2May he judgeYour people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice.3May the mountains bring peace and prosperity to the people.May the hills bring righteousness and justice. 4May he grant

justice for the poor of the people, and save the children of theneedy, and crush the oppressor. 5May they revere you as longas the sun and moon endures, from generation to generation.

6May he come down like rain on the cut grass, like showersthat water the earth. 7May the righteous flourish in his days,and peace and prosperity abound until the moon is no more.8May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the Euphra-tes River to the ends of the earth. 9May the nomads of the de-sert bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust. 10May thekings of Tarshish and of the distant coastlands bring tribute tohim. May the kings of Sheba and Seba offer him gifts. 11May allkings bow before him, and all nations serve him.

12For he will rescue the needy when they cry out, the pooralso, and those who have no helper. 13He will have compassionon the poor and needy, and will save the needy from death.14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for theirblood is precious in his sight.

15May he live long! May gold from Sheba be given to him.May prayer be offered for him continually, and may he be bless-ed all day long. 16May there be an abundance of grain through-

out the land. May it sway back and forth on the mountaintops. May its crops sway like the cedars of Lebanon. May thosewho live in the city flourish like the grass of the field. 17May hisname endure forever. May his name continue as long as thesun. May all nations be blessed through him, and may theycall him blessed.

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Psalm 73

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18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alonedoes wonderful things! 19Blessed be His glorious name forever!May the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and amen!

20 This concludes the prayer of David, the son of Jesse.

A psalm of Asaph.

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure inheart. 2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my

steps had nearly slipped. 3For I was envious of the arrogant,when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4All their lives they suf-fer no pain; their bodies are strong and healthy. 5 They do notsuffer trouble and calamities like other men do; such things donot touch them. 6Pride is their necklace, and violence coversthem like a garment. 7 Their eyes bulge out from obesity; theyobtain whatever their heart desires. 8 They mock and speakwickedly. In their arrogance they threaten oppression. 9 Theirmouths speak against heaven, and their tongues strutthroughout the earth. 10Nevertheless, my people turn to them

and drink up all they say. 11 The wicked say, “How does Godknow? Does the Most High have knowledge?” 12Look at theseungodly people! They are always at ease, and their wealth con-tinually increases.

13Have I kept my heart pure, have I washed my hands ininnocence, for nothing? 14 Truly, I am afflicted all day long; I ampunished every morning.

15If I would have expressed these thoughts to others, I wouldhave betrayed God’s people. 16When I tried to understand allthis, it was too painful to bear. 17 That is, until I went into thesanctuary of God. It was then, that I understood their end. 18In-deed, You have placed them on slippery ground, and they willfall to their destruction. 19How suddenly they are destroyed!

They are completely swept away by terrors! 20When You arise in judgment, O Lord, You will despise their image. They will disap-pear, like a dream when one awakens.

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Psalm 74

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21When my heart was bitter, and I was pierced deep within,22I was foolish and ignorant; I was like a senseless beast beforeYou. 23Nevertheless, I am always with You, because You holdme by my right hand. 24You will guide me with Your counsel,and afterwards You will take me into glory. 25Whom have I inheaven but You? There is nothing on earth that I desire exceptYou. 26My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strengthof my heart and my portion forever.

27Look, those who are far from You will perish. You will de-stroy all those who are unfaithful to You. 28But as for me, it isgood for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in You,

Lord GOD, so that I can declare all Your works.

A psalm of Asaph. For the purpose of instruction.

Why, O God, have You rejected us forever? Why doesYour anger smoulder against the sheep of Your pas-

ture? 2Remember the people You acquired long ago, the peopleYou redeemed to be Your very own. Remember Mount Zion,

where You dwell. 3 Turn your steps toward this endless ruin;the enemy has desecrated everything in the sanctuary.

4Your enemies have roared in the midst of Your meetingplace, and have set up their banners as a sign of their con-quest. 5Like skilful men lifting up their axes to cut down thetrees of the forest, 6they have torn down all its carved workwith their axes and hammers. 7 They set Your sanctuary on fire.

They defiled the dwelling place of Your name, bringing it to the

ground. 8 They said in their hearts, “Let us completely destroythem.” They have burned down all the places in the land whereGod was worshiped.

9We see no miraculous signs. There are no prophets left,and no one among us knows how long this will last. 10Howlong will our enemies insult You, O God? Will our enemies blas-pheme Your name forever? 11Why do You hold back Your hand,Your right hand? Pull it out from the folds of Your garment

and destroy them!

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12Yet God is my King of old. Throughout the earth He per-forms His works of salvation. 13You divided the Red Sea byYour strength. You broke the heads of the sea monster (theEgyptians) in the waters.158 14Indeed, You crushed the headsof Leviathan and fed him to the creatures of the wilderness.15From the rock You opened up springs and streams. Youdried up the riverbed of the ever-flowing Jordan River.159 16 Theday is Yours, and the night is Yours. You have made the moonand the sun. 17You have established all the boundaries of theearth. You have made summer and winter.

18Remember how the enemy has insulted You, O LORD, and

how foolish people have blasphemed Your name. 19Do not givethe soul of Your turtledove to wild beasts; do not forget thelives of Your afflicted people forever.

20Remember Your covenant, for the land is filled with dark-ness and violence. 21Do not let the oppressed turn back inshame! Let the afflicted and needy praise Your name!

22Arise, O God, and defend Your cause! Remember how these

foolish men insult You all day long! 23Do not forget the tauntsof Your enemies, the uproar of those who rise up against You,which rises continually!

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of Asaph. To thetune of “Do not Destroy.”

We give thanks to You, O God! We give thanks, because

Your name is near! We declare Your wonderful works!

2“At My appointed time for judgment, I will judge righteous-ly. 3When the earth and all its inhabitants are unstable, it is Iwho hold its pillars firm. Selah

158 Exodus 14:21-31159 Joshua 3:14-17

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Psalm 77

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11Make vows to the LORD your God and fulfill them. Let allthe neighbouring lands bring tribute to Him, for He is to berevered. 12He cuts down the pride of rulers. He is feared by thekings of the earth.

For Jeduthun, the choir director: A psalm of Asaph.

I cried out to God with my voice! I cried out to God withmy voice, and He heard me! 2In the day of my trouble I

sought the Lord. All night long I stretched out my hands toYou. My soul refused to be comforted. 3I remembered God, andI groaned. I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. Selah

4You kept my eyes from sleeping. I was too troubled tospeak. 5I thought about the days of old, the years long past. 6Iremembered my songs in the night, when my heart meditatedand my spirit pondered: 7“Will the Lord reject us forever? WillHe never show us His favour again? 8Has His lovingkindnessdisappeared forever? Has His promises failed forever? 9HasGod forgotten to be gracious? In His anger, has He withdrawn

His tender mercies?” Selah

10 Then I said, “Although I am overwhelmed by all this, I willremember the years when the right hand of the Most High waswith us. 11I will remember the deeds of the LORD. Indeed, I willremember Your miracles of old. 12I will reflect on all Your works,and meditate on Your deeds.”

13Your ways, O God, are holy! What god is as great as our

God? 14You are the God who performs miracles. You have dis-played Your strength among the peoples. 15With Your strongarm You have redeemed Your people, the descendants of Jacoband Joseph. Selah

16 The waters of the Red Sea saw You, O God, and wereafraid. The waters saw You, and the depths trembled. 17 Theclouds poured down rain, the skies thundered, and Your light-ning flashed back and forth like arrows. 18 The voice of Your

thunder was in the whirlwind. Your lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook. 19Your path went through the

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Red Sea; You passed through the mighty waters, but Your foot-prints were not seen. 20You led Your people like a flock, by thehand of Moses and Aaron.

A psalm of Asaph. For the purpose of instruction.

Listen, O my people, to my instruction! Pay attention tothe words of my mouth! 2I will open my mouth in par-

ables. I will utter riddles from long ago, 3which we have heardand known, which our fathers have told us. 4We will not keepthese truths from our children. We will tell the next gen-eration about the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, about Hisstrength, and the wonderful works He has done. 5For Godestablished a law for Jacob and gave instructions to Israel,commanding our fathers to teach them to their children; 6thatthe next generation, and the children not yet born, wouldknow these truths and would also teach them to their child-ren; 7that they would put their hope in God and would not for-get God’s works, but would keep His commandments; 8thatthey would not be like their fathers—a stubborn and rebellious

generation, whose hearts were unfaithful, and whose spiritswere not true to God.

9 The men of Ephraim were armed with bows, yet they turn-ed back in the day of battle. 10 They did not keep God’s cove-nant, and refused to walk in His law. 11 They forgot His works,and the wonders that He had shown them. 12He did miraclesin the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the regionof Zoan. 13He divided the Red Sea and led them through it. He

made the waters stand up like a wall.162 14In the daytime Heled them with a pillar of cloud, and all night with a pillar of fire.163 15He split the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them anabundance of water to drink.164 16He made streams gush outof the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers.

162

Exodus 14:21-22163 Exodus 13:21-22164 This happened on two different occasions: Exodus 17:1-7;Numbers 20:1-13.

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17But they continued to sin against Him by rebelling againstthe Most High in the wilderness. 18In their hearts they testedGod by demanding the food they craved.165 19Indeed, they spokeagainst God. They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wil-derness? 20Yes, He struck the rock so that waters gushed outand streams overflowed, but can He also give us bread? CanHe provide meat for His people?” 21When the LORD heard them,He became furious; His fire broke out against Jacob, and Hiswrath flared up against Israel, 22because they did not believeGod or trust His saving power. 23He gave a command to theclouds above, and opened the doors of heaven. 24He raineddown manna for them to eat; He gave them bread from heaven.25 They ate the bread of angels. He sent them food in abun-dance. 26He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, andHe brought in the south wind by His might. 27He rained meatdown on them like dust, birds like the sand on the seashore.28He made them fall into the midst of their camp, all aroundtheir tents. 29 They ate until they were stuffed, for He had giventhem what they craved. 30However, they would not turn awayfrom their cravings and kept eating. So while their food wasstill in their mouths, 31God’s wrath flared up against them; He

killed the strongest of them, and struck down the finest youngmen of Israel.

32But in spite of all this, they kept on sinning. Despite Hiswonders, they refused to believe. 33So He ended their days inemptiness and failure, and their years in terror. 34Whenever Hekilled them, they would seek Him; they would turn back andseek God earnestly. 35 They would remember that God was theirRock, that God Most High was their Redeemer. 36However, their

words were false, and their tongues were insincere. 37 Theirhearts were unfaithful, and they were not true to His covenant.38But He, being merciful, atoned for their iniquities, and didnot destroy them. Indeed, many times He turned His angeraway and did not stir up all His wrath. 39He remembered thatthey were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not returnagain.

165 This is speaking about Exodus 16 and Numbers 11. Theyare two different events that happed at two different times.



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40How often they rebelled against Him in the wilderness,and grieved Him in the desert! 41Again and again they testedGod, and provoked the Holy One of Israel. 42 They did not re-member the power of His hand, or the day He redeemed themfrom the enemy, 43when He performed His miraculous signs inEgypt, His wonders in the region of Zoan. 44He turned theirrivers into blood, so that they could not drink from theirstreams.166 45He sent swarms of flies that bit them, and frogsthat caused devastation. 46He gave their crops to grasshop-pers, and their produce to locusts. 47He destroyed their grape-vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with sleet. 48He gavetheir cattle over to hail, and their livestock to lightning bolts.49He unleashed His burning anger, wrath, indignation, andhostility against them, by sending angels of destruction amongthem. 50He cleared a path for His anger. He did not spare theirsouls from death, but gave their lives over to plague. 51Hestruck down all the firstborn sons in Egypt, the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. 52But He led His people outlike sheep, guiding them trough the wilderness like a flock.53He led them safely, so that they were not afraid, but the seaengulfed their enemies.167 54He brought them to the border of

His holy land, to the hill country His right hand had gained.55He drove out the nations before them. He divided the land bylot as an inheritance for them, and settled the tribes of Israelin their tents.

56But they tested God; they rebelled against the Most High,and did not keep His statutes. 57 They turned back, and actedunfaithfully like their fathers. They went off course like an ar-row shot from a defective bow. 58 They provoked Him to anger

with their high places, and moved Him to jealousy with theiridols. 59When God heard them, He became very angry, and Hecompletely rejected Israel. 60He abandoned the sanctuary atShiloh, the tent where He dwelt among men. 61He delivered Hisstrength (the Ark of the Covenant) into captivity, His glory intothe hands of the enemy.168 62He gave His people over to the

166 The plagues that God sent on Egypt, Exodus 7-12.167 Exodus 14:26-28168 1 Samuel 4



Psalm 79

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sword, and He was very angry with His inheritance. 63Fire de-voured their young men, and their young women had no wed-ding songs. 64 Their priests fell by the sword, and their widowswere not able to mourn them.

65 Then the Lord awoke, as if from sleep, like a warriorshouting on account of wine. 66He struck His enemies, drivingthem back. He put them to everlasting shame. 67Moreover, Herejected the sanctuary of Joseph; He did not choose the tribeof Ephraim. 68But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion,which He loved. 69 There He built His sanctuary like the heightsof the heavens, like the earth that He established forever. 70He

chose His servant David, whom He took from the sheep pens.71He took David from tending the sheep and made him theshepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. 72SoDavid shepherded them with a heart of integrity, and led themwith the skill of his hands.

A psalm of Asaph.

O God, the nations have invaded Your inheritance. Theyhave defiled Your holy temple, and have reduced Jeru-

salem to ruins. 2 They have left the dead bodies of Your ser-vants as food for the birds to eat, and the flesh of Your saintsfor the wild animals to devour. 3 They have spilled the blood of Your people like water all around Jerusalem, and there is noone to bury them. 4We have become a disgrace to our neigh-bours, an object of ridicule and mockery to those around us.

5How long, O LORD, will You be angry? Forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? 6Pour out Your wrath on the nationsthat do not know You, and on the kingdoms that do not call onYour name. 7For they have devoured Jacob, and have destroyedHis homeland.

8Do not count the sins of our fathers against us. Let Yourtender mercies come quickly to meet us, for we are broughtvery low. 9Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your

name. For Your name’s sake, deliver us, and atone for our sins.10Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before

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our eyes, make it known among the nations that You avengethe spilled blood of Your servants.

11Let the groans of the captives come before You. By Yourgreat strong arm, save those condemned to death. 12Pay backour neighbours seven times for the insults they have hurled atYou, O Lord. 13 Then we, Your people, the sheep of Your pas-ture, will thank You forever. We will declare Your praise fromgeneration to generation.

For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph. To the tune of “Lilies of the Covenant.”

Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph likea flock! You who sit enthroned between the cherubim,

shine forth! 2Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir upYour power! Come and save us! 3Restore us, O God, and makeYour face to shine upon us, so that we may be saved!

4O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smoulder

against the prayers of Your people? 5You have fed them withthe bread of tears. You have given them a full cup of tears todrink. 6You have made us an object of strife to our neighbours,and our enemies mock us. 7Restore us, O God of Hosts, andmake Your face to shine upon us, so that we may be saved!

8You uprooted a vine from Egypt. You drove out the nationsand planted it. 9You cleared a place for it. It took root and filledthe land. 10 The mountains were covered with its shadow. Its

branches were like the cedars of Lebanon. 11It spread itsbranches to the Mediterranean Sea, and its shoots to the Eu-phrates River.

12Why have You broken down its walls, so that everyone whopasses by picks its grapes? 13Wild boars of the forest ravage it,and wild animals devour it. 14Return, we beg You, O God of Hosts! Look down from heaven and take notice! Take care of this vine! 15Protect what Your right hand has planted, the son

You have raised up for Yourself. 16It has been burned with fire.It has been cut down. Your people perish at the frown of Your

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rebuke. 17Let Your hand be on the man at Your right hand, onthe son of man whom You have raised up for Yourself. 18 Thenwe will not turn away from You. Revive us, and we will call onYour name. 19Restore us, O LORD God of Hosts, and makeYour face to shine upon us, so that we may be saved!

For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph. To beaccompanied by a Gittite harp.

Sing praises to God our strength! Make a joyful noiseto the God of Jacob! 2Sing a song, strike the tambou-

rine, and play delightful music on the harp and lyre. 3Blow thetrumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our feastday.169 4For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the Godof Jacob. 5He established it in Joseph for a testimony, when Hewent out of the land of Egypt, when we heard a language wedid not understand.

6“I removed the burden from his shoulder, and freed hishands from carrying the basket. 7You called out in distress

and I delivered you. I answered you from the thundercloud atMount Sinai. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

8“Listen, O My people, and I will warn you! O Israel, if youwould only listen to Me! 9 There must not be any strange godsamong you. You must not bow down to any foreign gods. 10Iam the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.

11“But My people would not listen to My voice. Israel wouldnot obey Me. 12So I gave them over to their hard hearts. I letthem follow their own plans. 13Oh, that My people would listento Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! 14 Then I wouldquickly subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against theiradversaries. 15 Then those who hate the LORD would submit

169 This feast day is either the Feast of Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles. It is actually a very complicated verse. However,for me, verse 5 is pointing to the Feast of Passover.

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themselves to Him, and their punishment would last forever.16 Then I would feed you with the finest of wheat, and I wouldsatisfy you with honey from the rock.”

A psalm of Asaph.

God stands in the assembly of the mighty; He judgesamong the judges. 2“How long will you judge unjustly,

and show favour to the wicked? Selah

3“Defend the poor and fatherless, and do justice to the af-flicted and needy. 4Deliver the poor and lowly, and free themfrom the hands of the wicked.

5“These judges do not have knowledge or understanding! They walk about in darkness! All the foundations of justice areshaken!

6“I have said, ‘You are gods (judges); all of you are sons of the Most High.’ 7But you will die like mortals, and will fall like

any other ruler.”

8Arise, O God, to judge the earth! For all the nations are Yourinheritance.

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf! O God, do not

be idle! 2Look! Your enemies are in an uproar. Thosewho hate You have lifted up their heads in arrogance. 3 Theydevise cunning schemes against Your people, and conspire a-gainst Your treasured ones. 4 They have said, “Come, let us de-stroy them as a nation, so that the name of Israel may be re-membered no more!” 5For they have conspired together with onepurpose. They have made a covenant against You— 6the tentsof Edom, the Ishmaelites, Moab, the Hagrites, 7Gebal, Ammon,Amalek, Philistia, and the inhabitants of Tyre. 8Even Assyria

82

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has joined them; they have banded together with the descend-ants of Lot.170 Selah

9Do to them as You did to Midian,171 as You did to Siseraand Jabin at the Kishon River.172 10 They perished at Endor,and became like manure on the ground. 11Make their nobleslike Oreb and like Zeeb,173 all their princes like Zebah and Zal-munna,174 12who said, “Let us take possession of God’s pas-turelands for ourselves!” 13O my God, make them like tumble-weed, like chaff before the wind! 14Like a fire that burns theforest, like a flame that sets the mountains ablaze, 15so pursuethem with Your storm, and terrify them with Your tempest.16Cover their faces with shame, so that they may seek Yourname, O LORD. 17Let them be ashamed and terrified forever.Let them perish in disgrace. 18Let them acknowledge that Youalone—whose name is the LORD—are the Most High over allthe earth.

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. To be accompanied by a Gittite harp.

How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!2My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of the

LORD. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3Eventhe sparrow has found a home there; the swallow has found anesting place for herself, where she may have her young nearYour altar, O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God. 4Blessedare those who dwell in Your house. They are always praisingYou. Selah

5Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heartis set on going to Jerusalem to worship You. 6As they passthrough the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of springs. Indeed, the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.

170 Descendants of Lot: Moab and Ammon (Genesis 19:30-38).171

Judges 6-8172 Judges 4173 Judges 7:25174 Judges 8:21

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7 They will continue to grow stronger and stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Zion. 8O LORD God of Hosts,hear my prayer. Open Your ears, O God of Jacob. Selah9Look, O God our shield—look on the face of Your anointed king!

10For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand else-where! I would rather stand at the house of my God, peering inthrough the doors, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.175

11For the LORD God is our sun and shield. The LORD will giveus grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from thosewho walk uprightly. 12O LORD of Hosts, blessed is the manwho trusts in You!


O LORD, You have shown favour to Your land. You haverestored the fortunes of Jacob. 2You have forgiven the

iniquity of Your people. You have covered all their sin. Selah3You have withdrawn all Your wrath. You have turned away

from Your burning anger.

4Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your angertowards us to cease. 5Will You be angry with us forever? WillYou prolong Your anger from generation to generation? 6WillYou not revive us again, so that Your people may rejoice inYou? 7Show us Your lovingkindness, O LORD, and grant us Yoursalvation.

8I will listen to the voice of the LORD God, for surely He willspeak peace to His people and to His saints. Yet they must notturn back to their foolish ways! 9Surely His salvation is near tothose who revere Him, so that His glory may dwell in our land.

10Lovingkindness and truth have met together. Righteous-ness and peace have kissed each other. 11 Truth springs up

175 He would rather spend his time at the house of the Lord,even if he were never permitted to enter but could only look in,than to send his time in the house of the wicked.

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from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.12Indeed, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will

yield its crops. 13Righteousness will go before Him, and willprepare a path for His footsteps.

A prayer of David.

Turn Your ear to me, O LORD, and answer me, for I amafflicted and needy. 2Protect my soul, for I am godly. O

my God, save Your servant who trusts in You. 3Be merciful tome, O Lord, for I cry out to You all day long. 4Give joy to thesoul of Your servant; for to You, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.5For You, O Lord, are good. You are ready to forgive, and areabundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You. 6OpenYour ears, O LORD, to my prayer. Pay attention to the soundof my petitions. 7In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,for You will answer me.

8O Lord, among the gods there is none like You, and none of them has performed the deeds that You have performed. 9O

Lord, all the nations You have made will come and worship be-fore You. They will glorify Your name. 10For You are great, andYou perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your ways, O LORD, so that I may walk in Yourtruth. Give me an undivided heart, so that I may revere Yourname. 12I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,and I will glorify Your name forever. 13For great is Your loving-kindness towards me. You have delivered my soul from the

depths of hell.

14O God, arrogant men have risen up against me. A group of violent men seek my life. They have not set You before them.15But You, O Lord, are a merciful and gracious God. You areslow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.16 Turn to me, and have mercy on me! Give Your strength toYour servant, and save the son of Your maidservant. 17Showme a sign of Your goodness, so that those who hate me may

see it and be put to shame. For You, O LORD, have helped meand comforted me.

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A song. A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

The foundation of His city stands on the holy moun-tains. 2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than allthe dwellings of Jacob. 3Glorious things are spoken of you, Ocity of God. Selah

4Among those who know Me in Egypt, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia, I will record, “This one was born in Zion.”5Regarding Zion, it will be said, “This one and that one wereborn in her, and the Most High Himself will establish her.”6 The LORD will record in the register of the nations, “This onewas born in Zion.” Selah

7And the singers and musicians will declare, “All my foun-tains are in the city of our God.”

For the choir director: A song of the descendants of Korah. To the tune of “Suffering Affliction.” A psalm of

Heman the Ezrahite. For the purpose of instruction.

O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out to You day andnight! 2Let my prayer come before You! Turn Your ear

to hear my cries! 3For my soul is overwhelmed with troubles,and my life draws near to the grave. 4I am numbered withthose who go down to the pit, like a man whose strength isgone. 5I am abandoned among the dead, like the slain who liein the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your hand. 6You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the

darkest depths. 7Your wrath presses down upon me, and Youhave afflicted me with all Your pounding waves. Selah

8You have removed my acquaintances far from me, makingme utterly repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot go out.9My eyes have deteriorated from weeping. I have stretched outmy hands and called out to You daily, O LORD. 10Will Youshow wonders to the dead? Will the dead rise up and praiseYou? Selah

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11Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Yourfaithfulness in the underworld? 12Will Your wonders be knownin the place of darkness? Or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion? 13But I cry out to You, O LORD! Every morning myprayer comes before You. 14O LORD, why do You reject me?Why do You hide Your face from me?

15Since childhood, I have been sick and close to death. I suf-fer Your terrors; I am distraught. 16Your burning anger hasswept over me. Your terrors have destroyed me. 17Like a floodthey surround me all day long. They have completely engulfedme. 18You have removed my loved ones and friends far from

me, and my acquaintances have left me in the dark.

A psalm of Ethan the Ezrahite. For the purpose of instruction.

I will sing of the LORD’s lovingkindness forever. Withmy mouth I will make Your faithfulness known from

generation to generation. 2For I will declare that Your loving-

kindness stands firm forever, and that You have establishedYour faithfulness in the heavens. 3 The LORD said, “I have madea covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David Myservant, 4‘I will establish your offspring forever, and make yourthrone firm from generation to generation.’” Selah

5 The heavens celebrate Your wonders, O LORD; multitudesof angels celebrate Your faithfulness. 6For who in the heavensis equal to the LORD? Who among the mighty angels can com-

pare to the LORD? 7God is greatly feared in the assembly of the angels, revered by all those around Him. 8O LORD God of Hosts! Who is as mighty as You, O LORD? Your faithfulnesssurrounds You. 9You rule the raging of the sea. When itswaves rise, You still them. 10You broke Egypt into pieces, likeone who is slain. You scattered Your enemies with Your strongarm. 11Heaven and earth are Yours, the world and all that is init, for You founded them. 12You created the north and thesouth. Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon shout for joy at Your

name. 13Your arm is mighty, Your hand is strong, Your righthand is victorious. 14Righteousness and justice are the foun-

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dation of Your throne. Lovingkindness and truth go beforeYou. 15Blessed are those who understand the meaning and sig-nificance of Your feasts of worship, for they will walk in thelight of Your presence, O LORD. 16In Your name they rejoice allday long, and in Your righteousness they are exalted. 17ForYou are their glorious strength, and by Your favour our horn(strength) will be exalted. 18For the LORD is our shield; the HolyOne of Israel is our King.

19Once You spoke in a vision to Your saints, and said, “Ihave granted help to a warrior. I have exalted one chosen fromthe people. 20I have found David My servant; with My holy oil I

have anointed him. 21My hand will always be with him. Myarm will also strengthen him. 22 The enemy will not exact trib-ute from him. The sons of wickedness will not conquer him. 23Iwill crush his foes before him, and strike down those who hatehim. 24My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him,and in My name his horn (strength) will be exalted. 25His do-minion will extend from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphra-tes River.176 26He will cry out to Me, ‘You are my Father, myGod, and the Rock of my salvation.’ 27I will also make him the

firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.177 28Forever Iwill maintain My lovingkindness towards him, and My cove-nant with him will never end. 29I will establish his offspringforever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. 30If his sonsforsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, 31if theybreak My statutes and do not keep My commandments, 32thenI will punish their transgression with a rod, and their iniquitywith lashes. 33But I will not withdraw My lovingkindness fromhim or allow My faithfulness to fail. 34I will not break My cove-

nant or alter what My lips have uttered. 35Once and for all Ihave sworn an oath by My holiness—surely I will not lie toDavid— 36his offspring will endure forever, and his throne willlast before Me like the sun; 37it will be established forever likethe moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

38But You have rejected and despised him. You are very an-gry with Your anointed king. 39You have turned away from

176 Psalm 72:8177 Colossians 1:15-20; Revelation 1:5, 19:16



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the covenant of Your servant. You have thrown his crown tothe ground. 40You have broken down all his walls. You havemade his fortifications a ruin. 41All who pass by plunder him.He has become an object of ridicule to his neighbours. 42Youhave exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have madeall his enemies rejoice. 43You have also turned back the edge of his sword, and have not let him stand in battle. 44You havemade his splendour cease, and have hurled his throne to theground. 45You have shortened the days of his youth. You havecovered him with shame. Selah

46How long, O LORD, will You hide Yourself? Forever? How

long will Your wrath burn like fire? 47Remember how short mylife is! Why have You made all men in vain? 48Who can live andnot see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of thegrave? Selah

49Where is Your former lovingkindness, O Lord, which Youswore to David in Your faithfulness? 50Remember, O Lord, howYour servants are ridiculed, how I bear in my heart the insultsof so many people. 51Remember, O LORD, how Your enemies

have ridiculed me, how they have ridiculed every step of Youranointed king.

52Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and amen!

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

O Lord, You have been our dwelling place from gener-

ation to generation. 2Before the mountains were born,before You gave birth to the whole world, from everlasting toeverlasting, You are God.

3You return man to the dust, saying, “Return, O sons of men!” 4A thousand years in Your eyes are like a day that has

just passed by, like a watch in the night. 5You sweep their livesaway like a flood. They fall asleep. In the morning they are likegrass that springs up. 6In the morning it springs up and flour-

ishes; in the evening it is cut down and dries up. 7

For we areconsumed by Your anger, and we are terrified by Your wrath.

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8You have put our iniquities before You, our secret sins intothe light of Your presence. 9For all our days pass away underYour wrath; we finish our years like a sigh.

10 The years of our life are seventy, or maybe eighty, if we arestrong. Yet the best of our years are full of toil and grief; theypass quickly, and then we vanish. 11Who can fathom the powerof Your anger? Your wrath is equal to the reverence You de-serve. 12 Teach us how short our lives are, so that we may gaina heart of wisdom.

13Come back to us, O LORD! How much longer must we

wait? Have compassion on Your servants! 14Satisfy us in themorning with Your lovingkindness, so that we may rejoice andbe glad all of our days. 15Make us glad for as many days asYou have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seenadversity. 16Let Your deeds be seen by Your servants. Let Yourglory be seen by their children. 17Let the favour of the LORDour God rest upon us! Make our endeavours successful! Yes,make our endeavours successful!

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High willabide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the

LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom Itrust.” 3Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,and from the deadly pestilence. 4He will cover you with Hisfeathers, and under His wings you will find refuge. His truthwill be your shield and armour. 5You will not fear the dangersof night, or the arrow that flies by day, 6or the plague that

lurks in darkness, or the disaster that strikes at noon. 7Athousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your righthand, but it will not come near you. 8Indeed, your own eyeswill see and observe the punishment of the wicked.

9Because you have made the LORD your refuge, and theMost High your resting-place, 10no evil will overtake you, andno plague will come near your dwelling. 11For He will give Hisangels charge over you, to protect you in all your ways. 12 They

will lift you up with their hands, so that you will not dash yourfoot against a stone. 13You will tread on the lion and the viper.You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.

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14“Because he loves Me, I will rescue him. I will protect him,because he knows My name. 15He will call on Me, and I willanswer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, andhonour him. 16I will satisfy him with long life, and show himMy salvation.”

A psalm. A song for the Sabbath Day.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and tosing praises unto Your name, O Most High! 2It is a good

thing to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Yourfaithfulness at night, 3with the ten-stringed lyre, and the mu-sic of the harp.

4For You, O LORD, have made me glad by what You havedone. I will shout for joy at the works of Your hands. 5O LORD,how great are Your works! Your thoughts are too deep tofathom! 6 The ignorant do not know, and the foolish do not un-derstand this: 7though the wicked spring up like grass, and allevildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.

8But You, O LORD, are exalted forever! 9Look at Your ene-mies, O LORD! Your enemies will surely perish; all those whopractice evil will be scattered! 10But You have exalted my horn(strength) like that of a wild ox. You have anointed me withfresh oil. 11My eyes have seen the defeat of my enemies. Myears have heard the cries of the wicked who have foughtagainst me. 12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. Theywill grow like a cedar of Lebanon. 13 Those who are planted in

the house of the LORD will flourish in the courts of our God.14 They will still bear fruit in their old age. They will be full of life and vitality. 15 They will declare, “The LORD is upright! Heis my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him!”

The LORD reigns! He is clothed in majesty. The LORDis clothed in majesty and armed with strength. Indeed,

He set the world in its place; it cannot be moved. 2Your throne

has always existed! Indeed, You are from everlasting!

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3 The waves of the sea rise, O LORD, the waves of the searoar, the waves of the sea come crashing down. 4 The LORD onhigh is mightier than the noise of many waters, than themighty breakers of the sea.

5Your laws stand firm. Holiness adorns Your house, O LORD,forever.

O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs! O God, towhom vengeance belongs, show Yourself! 2Rise up, O

Judge of the earth! Pay back the arrogant! 3O LORD, how long

will the wicked, how long will the wicked triumph? 4How longwill they pour out arrogant words? How long will these evildo-ers brag about themselves? 5 They crush Your people, O LORD,and oppress Your inheritance. 6 They kill the widow and the for-eigner, and murder the fatherless. 7 They say, “The LORD will notsee. The God of Jacob will not pay attention.”

8Pay attention, you ignorant people! You fools, when will youbecome wise? 9Does the One who made the ear not hear? Does

the One who formed the eye not see? 10Does the One who dis-ciplines the nations not punish? Does the One who teachesman lack knowledge? 11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man,that they are worthless.

12Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD, the man Youteach from Your law. 13You will give him relief in times of ad-versity, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14For the LORD will notabandon His people or forsake His inheritance. 15Indeed, judg-

ment will once again be founded on righteousness, and all theupright in heart will follow it.

16Who will protect me from evildoers? Who will stand up forme against the wicked? 17If the LORD had not helped me, mysoul would have soon lived in silence. 18When I thought, “Myfoot is slipping.” Your lovingkindness, O LORD, held me up.19When my anxieties multiplied within me, Your comfortbrought me joy.

20Can corrupt leaders be allied with You—leaders who usetheir authority to defend wickedness? 21 They band together

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against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent todeath. 22But the LORD is my defence; my God is the rock of my refuge. 23He will turn their iniquity back on them, and willdestroy them in their wickedness. Indeed, the LORD our Godwill destroy them!

Come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us make a joyfulnoise to the Rock of our salvation! 2Let us come into

His presence with thanksgiving! Let us make a joyful noise toHim with songs of praise! 3For the LORD is a great God, agreat King above all gods. 4 The depths of the earth are in His

hand, and the mountain peaks belong to Him. 5 The sea is His,because He made it. His hands formed the dry land.

6Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel beforethe LORD our Maker. 7For He is our God, and we are the peo-ple of His pasture, and the sheep in His hands. Today, if youhear His voice: 8“Do not harden your hearts like you did atMeribah, like you did on that day at Massah in the wilder-ness,178 9when your fathers tested Me; they tried My patience,

though they had seen My works. 10For forty years I was grievedwith that generation, and said, ‘They are a people whose heartsgo astray, and they have not known My ways.’ 11So I swore anoath in My wrath, ‘They will not enter into My rest!’”

Sing unto the LORD a new song! Sing unto the LORD,all the earth! 2Sing unto the LORD! Bless His name!

Proclaim His salvation day after day. 3Declare His glory among

the nations, His wonders among all the peoples. 4For the LORDis great, and greatly to be praised. He is to be revered above allgods. 5For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORDmade the heavens. 6Honour and majesty are in His presence.Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

7Acknowledge the LORD, O families of the nations, acknowl-edge the LORD’s glory and strength. 8Acknowledge the LORDfor the glory of His name! Bring an offering and come into His

178 Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:1-13

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courts! 9Worship the LORD because of His holy splendour! Tremble before Him, all the earth! 10Say among the nations,“The LORD reigns!” Indeed, He set the world in its place; it can-not be moved. He will judge the peoples fairly.

11Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad. Let the seaand everything in it resound with praise. 12Let the fields andeverything in them celebrate. Let all the trees of the forest singfor joy 13before the LORD, for He comes, for He comes to judgethe earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and thepeople with His truth.

The LORD reigns! Let the earth rejoice! Let all thecoasts and islands be glad! 2Clouds and darkness sur-

round Him. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of His throne. 3A fire goes before Him, and burns up all His ene-mies. 4His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees andtrembles. 5 The mountains melt like wax at the presence of theLORD, at the presence of the Lord of all the earth. 6 The heav-ens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory.

7Everyone who worships carved images and brags aboutidols will be put to shame. Worship Him, all you angels!

8Zion heard and was glad, the towns of Judah rejoiced, be-cause of Your judgments, O LORD. 9For You, O LORD, are theMost High over all the earth. You are exalted far above allgods. 10 Those who love the LORD hate evil, for He protects thelives of His saints and delivers them from the hands of the

wicked. 11Light shines on the righteous, and gladness on theupright in heart. 12Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! Givethanks as you remember His holy name!

A psalm.

Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done mar-vellous things! His right hand and His holy arm have

gained Him the victory! 2

The LORD has made His salvation

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known. He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of thenations. 3He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faith-fulness towards the house of Israel. All the ends of the earthhave seen the salvation of our God.

4Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Rejoice witha loud shout, and sing praises! 5Sing praises to the LORD withthe harp, with the harp and the sound of singing! 6With trum-pets and the sound of the horn, make a joyful noise before theLORD our King!

7Let the sea and everything in it resound with praise, along

with the world and all its inhabitants! 8Let the rivers clap theirhands. Let the mountains sing praises together 9before theLORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the worldwith righteousness, and the people with fairness.

The LORD reigns! The nations tremble! He sits en-throned between the cherubim—the earth quakes! 2 The

LORD is great in Zion. He is exalted over all the nations. 3Let

them praise Your great and awesome name, for it is holy! 4Omighty King, who loves justice, You have established fairness.You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob. 5Exaltthe LORD our God and worship at His footstool, for He is holy!

6Moses and Aaron were among His priests, even Samuelwas among those who called upon His name; they called uponthe LORD, and He answered them. 7He spoke to them from thepillar of cloud. They kept His laws and the decrees that He

gave them. 8O LORD our God, You answered them. You were aGod who forgave them, but also a God who punished theirsinful deeds. 9Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holymountain, for the LORD our God is holy!

A psalm of praise.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!2

Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His pres-ence with joyful singing! 3Know that the LORD, He is God! He

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has made us, and not we ourselves. We are His people, and thesheep of His pasture. 4Enter His gates with thanksgiving, andHis courts with praise! Give thanks to Him, and bless Hisname! 5For the LORD is good! His lovingkindness lasts forever,and His faithfulness lasts from generation to generation!

A psalm of David.

I will sing of Your lovingkindness and justice! To You,O LORD, I will sing praises! 2I will be careful to live

a blameless life. When will You come to help me? I will conductmyself with a heart of integrity in my own home. 3I will placeno wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the deeds of those whoturn aside from the truth; I will have nothing to do with them.4I will stay away from the perverse of heart. I will have nothingto do with evil. 5I will not tolerate anyone who slanders theirneighbour in secret. I will not put up with anyone who is con-ceited and arrogant.

6My eyes are on the trustworthy of the land, so that they

may dwell with me. Those who walk in the way of integrity willserve me. 7No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house.No one who tells lies will remain in my presence. 8Every morn-ing I will destroy all the wicked of the land, cutting off all theevildoers from the city of the LORD.

A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed andpours out his complaint before the LORD.

Hear my prayer, O LORD! Let my cry for help cometo You! 2Do not hide Your face from me in the day

of my distress! Turn Your ear and listen to me! In the day Icall, answer me quickly! 3For my days vanish like smoke, andmy bones burn like a furnace. 4My heart is broken. It is with-ered like grass. I even forget to eat my bread, 5because of mymoaning and groaning. My bones protrude from my skin. 6I amlike a desert owl, like an owl living among the ruins. 7I cannot

sleep; I feel like a sparrow that is alone on the roof. 8All daylong my enemies insult me. Those who are angry with me

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curse me. 9I have eaten ashes like bread, and my tears fall intomy drink, 10because of Your anger and wrath, for You havepicked me up and thrown me down. 11My days are like a fadingshadow. I wither away like grass.

12But You, O LORD, sit enthroned forever. Your fame will lastfrom generation to generation. 13You will arise and have mercyon Zion, for it is time to show her favour; the appointed timehas come. 14For Your servants love her stones, and cherish herdust. 15 The nations will revere the name of the LORD, and allthe kings of the earth Your glory. 16For the LORD will rebuildZion; He will appear in His glory. 17He will turn to the prayer of

the destitute; He will not despise their plea.

18Let this be recorded for the generations to come, so that apeople yet to be created will praise the LORD. 19For He willlook down from His sanctuary above. From heaven the LORDwill look down on the earth, 20to hear the groaning of the cap-tives, to release those who are condemned to death, 21so thatthey may declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and His praisein Jerusalem, 22when the peoples and the kingdoms gather to-

gether to worship the LORD.

23You have weakened my strength along the way. You haveshortened my days. 24 Therefore I pray, “O my God, do not takeme away in the midst of my days! Your years continue fromgeneration to generation. 25In the beginning You laid the foun-dations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Yourhands. 26 They will be destroyed, but You will remain. Like agarment they will all wear out. You will change them like cloth-

ing, and they will pass away. 27But You are the same, and Your years will never end. 28 The children of Your servants will con-tinue, and their descendants will be established before You.”

A psalm of David.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me,bless His holy name! 2Bless the LORD, O my soul,

and forget none of His benefits:

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esty. 2You wrap Yourself in light as with a garment. You stretchout the heavens like a tent. 3You laid the beams of Your cham-bers on the water vapours above. You make the clouds Yourchariot, walking on the wings of the wind. 4You make Your an-gels winds, Your servants flames of fire.

5You set the earth on its foundations, so that it will not bemoved forever and ever. 6Deep waters covered it like a gar-ment. The waters stood above the mountains.179 7At Your re-buke the waters fled.180 At the voice of Your thunder they hur-ried away. 8 The mountains rose up, the valleys sunk down,and the waters ran down to the place You assigned for them.9You set a boundary they cannot cross, so that they will neveragain cover the earth.

10He turns springs into streams, which wind their waythrough the mountains, 11providing water for all the wild ani-mals. Even the wild donkeys drink from them and quench theirthirst. 12 The birds of the sky live beside the streams, and singamong the branches. 13From Your lofty chambers You send rainon the mountains. The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your

works.

14You cause grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for manto cultivate, providing food from the land, 15and wine that glad-dens the hearts of man, oil to make their faces shine, andbread that sustains their hearts.

16 The trees of the LORD flourish, the cedars of Lebanon thatHe planted, 17where the birds make their nests. As for the stork,

it makes its home in the fir trees. 18 The high mountains are forthe wild goats. The rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19You made the moon to mark the seasons. The sun knowswhen to set. 20You bring darkness, and it becomes night, whenall the animals of the forest prowl about. 21 The young lions roarafter their prey, seeking their food from God. 22When the sun

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rises, they go back and lie down in their dens. 23 Then men goout to do their work, and labour until evening.

24O LORD, how countless are Your works! You made themall so wisely. The earth is full of Your creations. 25Look at thesea! So vast and wide! In it are creatures beyond number, liv-ing things both large and small. 26Ships sail back and forth onit, and You made the sea mammals to play in it.

27All living things depend on You to provide them with thefood they need. 28When You provide for them, they gather it up.When You open Your hand, they are filled with good things.29When You hide Your face, they are terrified. When You takeaway their breath, they die and return to the dust. 30When Yousend Your Spirit, they are created, and You renew the face of the earth.

31 The glory of the LORD will endure forever. The LORD willrejoice in His works. 32He looks at the earth, and it trembles.He touches the mountains, and they smoke. 33I will sing to theLORD as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I am

alive. 34May my meditation be sweet to Him, for I will be glad inthe LORD. 35Let sinners vanish from the earth, and let thewicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise theLORD!

Give thanks to the LORD! Call on His name! MakeHis deeds known among the people! 2Sing to Him,

sing praises to Him! Tell of all His wonderful works! 3Glory in

His holy name! Let the hearts of those who seek the LORDrejoice! 4Seek the LORD and His strength! Seek His face con-tinually! 5Remember the wonderful works He has done, Hismiracles and the judgments He has pronounced, 6O you de-scendants of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob, Hischosen ones!

7He is the LORD our God. His judgments are in all theearth. 8He remembers His covenant forever, the word that He

commanded for a thousand generations,9

the covenant He madewith Abraham, and the oath He swore to Isaac. 10He confirmedit to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

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11“To you I will give the land of Canaan, and it will be the lot of your inheritance.”

12When they were but a few men in number, very few, andforeigners in the land, 13they wondered from one nation to an-other, and from one kingdom to another. 14He let no one op-press them. He even rebuked kings on their behalf: 15“Do nottouch My anointed ones, and do not harm My prophets!”

16He called for a famine upon the land, cutting off its foodsupply. 17God sent a man ahead of them—Joseph, who wassold as a slave. 18 They shackled his feet with chains, his neck

was put in irons, 19until what he had foretold came true, untilthe word of the LORD had tried and tested him. 20 Then Phar-aoh sent for him and released him; the ruler of the people sethim free. 21Pharaoh made Joseph master of his house, andruler over all his possessions. 22 Joseph had the authority todiscipline Pharaoh’s officials and to instruct his advisers.

23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as a foreigner inthe land of Ham. 24 The LORD increased His people greatly, and

made them stronger than their enemies. 25He caused thehearts of the Egyptians to hate His people, and to deal deceit-fully with His servants.

26He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron, whom He had cho-sen. 27 They performed His miraculous signs among the Egyp-tians, and wonders in the land of Ham. 28He sent darkness,and made the land dark.181 Indeed, Moses and Aaron did notrebel against His words. 29He turned their water into blood,

and killed their fish. 30He made their land swarm with frogs,even in the bedchambers of Pharaoh. 31He spoke, and therecame swarms of flies and gnats throughout their country. 32Hegave them hail instead of rain, and lightning flashed through-out their land. 33He struck down their grapevines and fig trees,and shattered the trees of their country. 34He spoke, and thelocusts came—grasshoppers without number. 35 They devouredall the vegetation in their land, and ate up the produce of their

181 The plagues that God sent on Egypt, Exodus 7-12.



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soil. 36 Then He struck down all the firstborn in their land, thefirstfruits of all their strength.

37He brought His people out of Egypt with gold and silver,and no one stumbled among His tribes. 38Egypt was glad whenthey left, because the fear of Israel had fallen upon them.

39He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give themlight at night.182 40 The people asked for food, and He broughtthem quail, and filled them with the bread of heaven.183 41Hesplit the rock, and water gushed out; it ran in the dry placeslike a river.184 42For He remembered His holy promise to His

servant Abraham.

43He brought His people out with joy, His chosen ones withgladness. 44He gave them the lands of other nations. They tookpossession of what others had worked for. 45All this happened,so that they might keep His statutes and obey His laws. Praisethe LORD!

Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for Heis good, for His lovingkindness endures forever!

2Who could ever tell of all the mighty acts of the LORD, or fullydeclare all His praise? 3Blessed are those who uphold justice,who practice righteousness at all times.

4Remember me, O LORD, when You show favour to Your peo-ple. Vsit me with Your salvation. 5Let me experience the pros-perity of Your chosen ones. Let me rejoice in the joy of Your

nation. Let me celebrate with Your inheritance.

6However, we have sinned like our fathers! We have commit-ted iniquity! We have acted wickedly! 7Indeed, our fathers didnot appreciate Your wonders in Egypt. They did not rememberthe abundance of Your lovingkindness. Instead, they rebelledby the sea—the Red Sea.185 8Nevertheless, God saved them for

182

Exodus 13:21-22183 Exodus 16184 Exodus 17:1-7185 Exodus 14:10-12

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His name’s sake, so that He could make His power known. 9Herebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up. He led them through thedepths, as if it were a desert.186 10He saved them from thehands of their adversaries. He redeemed them from the handsof their foes. 11 The waters covered their enemies; not one of them survived.187 12 Then they believed His promises, and sangHis praise.

13However, they soon forgot His works. They did not wait forHis counsel, 14but greedily lusted in the wilderness, temptingGod in the desert. 15He gave them what they asked for, thensent a wasting disease among them.188

16In the camp they became envious of Moses. They also be-came envious of Aaron, the LORD’s holy priest. 17 The earthopened up and swallowed Dathan, and engulfed the companyof Abiram. 18A fire broke out in their company. A flame burntup the wicked.189

19 They made a calf at Mount Horeb (Mount Sinai); they wor-shiped a cast image.190 20 They exchanged their glorious God

for a statue of an ox that eats grass. 21 They forgot God theirSaviour, who had done great things in Egypt, 22wonderfulworks in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds at the Red Sea.23 Therefore He said He would destroy them—but Moses, Hischosen one, stood before Him to intercede, to turn away Hiswrath from destroying them.

24 They rejected the pleasant land, and did not believe Hispromise.191 25 They grumbled in their tents, and did not listen

to the LORD’s voice. 26So He raised His hand and swore anoath against them that He would make them fall in the wilder-ness, 27that He would make their descendants fall among thenations, and would scatter them throughout the lands.

186 Exodus 14:21-22187 Exodus 14:26-28188

Numbers 11189 Numbers 16:1-40190 Exodus 32:1-4191 Numbers 13-14



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28 They joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and ate sacrificesoffered to lifeless idols.192 29 They provoked the LORD to angerwith their deeds, and a plague broke out among them. 30ButPhinehas stood up and executed judgment, and so the plaguewas stopped. 31It was credited to him as righteousness, fromgeneration to generation and forever.

32 They also angered the LORD at the waters of Meribah, andtrouble came on Moses because of them,193 33for they arousedhis temper, and he spoke rashly with his lips.

34 They did not destroy the nations as the LORD had com-

manded them to do. 35Instead, they mixed with the nations andlearned their ways. 36 They worshiped their idols, which becamea snare to them. 37 They even sacrificed their sons anddaughters to demons. 38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 39 They defiledthemselves by what they did. They prostituted themselves bytheir actions.

40 Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Hispeople. He loathed His own inheritance. 41He gave them intothe hands of the nations, and those who hated them ruled overthem. 42 Their enemies oppressed them, and Israel was subduedunder their power. 43Many times He delivered them, but theykept on rebelling deliberately, and were brought low by theirsins.

44Yet when He heard their cries, He looked on their distress.

45For their sake He remembered His covenant, and had com-passion on them, because of His great lovingkindness. 46Hecaused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.

47Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among thenations, so that we may give thanks to Your holy name and tri-umph in Your praise.

192 Numbers 25193 Number 20:1-13



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48Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting toeverlasting! Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD!

O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for Hislovingkindness endures forever! 2Let the redeemed

of the LORD declare it, those whom He has delivered from thehand of the enemy, 3and gathered from the lands, from the eastand west, from the north and south.

4Some of them had wondered through desolate places in thedesert, finding no city to settle in. 5 They were hungry and

thirsty, and their souls fainted within them. 6When they criedout to the LORD in their trouble, He delivered them from theirdistress. 7He led them on a straight road, so they could find acity to settle in. 8Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lov-ingkindness, and for the wonderful deeds that He has done forthe sons of men! 9For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and hasfilled the hungry soul with good things.

10Some of them had been sitting in darkness, in the shadow

of death, captives bound in misery and iron chains. 11For theyhad rebelled against the commands of God, and despised theinstructions of the Most High. 12 Therefore, He humbled theirhearts with hard labour. They fell down, and there was no oneto help. 13When they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, Hesaved them from their distress. 14He brought them out of dark-ness, out of the shadow of death, and broke off their chains.15Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, andfor the wonderful deeds that He has done for the sons of men!

16For He has broken down the bronze gates, and has cut apartthe iron bars.

17Some of them had become fools on account of their rebel-lious ways, suffering affliction due to their sins. 18 They hadlost their appetite for food, and had drawn near to the gates of death. 19When they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, Hesaved them from their distress. 20He sent His word and healedthem, and delivered them from their destruction. 21Let them

give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for the

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wonderful deeds that He has done for the sons of men! 22Letthem sacrifice thank offerings, and recount His works withrejoicing.

23Some of them had gone off to sea in ships, making theirliving on the high seas. 24 They witnessed the works of theLORD, His wonderful deeds in the deep. 25At His command aviolent windstorm arose, making the waves high. 26 The sailorswent up towards the sky, then plunged down towards thedepths, as their courage melted away in their plight. 27 Theyreeled to and fro and staggered like drunkards; all their wis-dom and skill was utterly useless. 28When they cried out to the

LORD in their trouble, He brought them out of their distress.29He calmed the storm, and the waves became still. 30 They re-

joiced when it calmed down, and He led them to their desiredhaven. 31Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkind-ness, and for the wonderful deeds that He has done for thesons of men! 32Let them exalt Him in the congregation of thepeople, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.

33He turned rivers into deserts, springs of water into dry

ground, 34and fruitful land into salty wastelands, because of the wickedness of those who lived there. 35But He also turnedthe desert into pools of water, and dry land into water springs.36 There He brought the hungry to settle. And they built a citywhere they could live. 37 They sowed fields, planted vineyards,and yielded a fruitful harvest. 38He blessed them, and theymultiplied greatly. He also increased the number of their live-stock.

39When their numbers decreased and they were humbled byoppression, trouble, and sorrow, 40the LORD showed His dis-pleasure with their leaders and caused them to wander aim-lessly in desolate wastelands. 41Yet at the same time, He liftedthe needy out of their affliction and increased their families likeflocks.

42 The righteous see all this and rejoice, but all the wickedwill shut their mouths. 43Whoever is wise, let them pay atten-

tion to these things! Let them consider the lovingkindness of theLORD!



Psalm 108-109

629

A song. A psalm of David.

My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and givepraise to You with all my heart! 2Wake up, harp andlyre! I will wake up at dawn! 3I will praise You, O LORD, amongthe peoples. I will sing praises to You among the nations. 4ForYour lovingkindness reaches beyond the heavens, Your faith-fulness to the clouds. 5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! LetYour glory be over all the earth!

6Answer us, and save us with Your right hand, so that Yourbeloved ones may be delivered! 7God has spoken in His holi-ness: “I will rejoice, I will divide up Shechem, and portion outthe valley of Succoth. 8Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine.Ephraim is the helmet of My head, and Judah is My sceptre.9Moab, however, is My washtub; on Edom I will cast My sandal,and over Philistia I will shout in triumph.”

10Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me toEdom? 11Is it not You, O God—the One who has rejected us? Isit not You, O God—the One who did not go out with our ar-

mies? 12Give us help against the enemy, for the help of man isuseless. 13 Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who willtread down our enemies!


Do not remain silent, O God of my praise! 2For themouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful

are opened against me. They speak against me with a lyingtongue. 3 They surround me with words of hatred, and attack mefor no reason. 4In return for my love they falsely accuse me,even though I pray for them. 5 They repay me evil for good, andhatred for love.

6Appoint a wicked man to oppose him. Let an accuser standat his right hand. 7When he is judged, let him be found guilty.Let his prayer be counted as sin. 8Let his days be few. Let

another take his office. 9Let his children be fatherless, and hiswife a widow. 10Let his children wander around begging. Let

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them search for bread far from their ruined homes. 11Let credi-tors seize all that he has. Let strangers plunder the fruits of his labour. 12Let no one show him kindness. Let no one havecompassion on his fatherless children. 13Let his descendantsbe cut off. Let their names be blotted out in just one gener-ation. 14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered beforethe LORD. Let the sin of his mother not be blotted out. 15Lettheir sins always remain before the LORD. Let Him cut off theirmemory from the earth. 16For he did not remember to showlovingkindness, but persecuted the afflicted and needy, andsought to kill the brokenhearted. 17Since he loved to curse oth-ers—let curses come upon him. Since he did not delight in

blessing others—let blessings be far from him. 18Since he worecursing as his garment—let curses soak into his body like wa-ter, into his bones like oil. 19Let curses wrap around him like agarment, like a belt he always wears. 20Let this be the LORD’spayment to my accusers, to those who speak evil against mysoul.

21For Your name’s sake, O GOD my Lord, act on my behalf.Rescue me, for Your lovingkindness is good. 22For I am afflicted

and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 23Like a fad-ing shadow I am passing away. I am brushed off like a locust.24My knees are weak from fasting. My body is skin and bones.25I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers. When theysee me, they shake their heads.

26Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to Your lov-ingkindness! 27 Then they will know that Your hand has donethis, that You, O LORD, have saved me. 28 They may curse, but

You will bless. Let those who rise up against me be ashamed,but let Your servant rejoice. 29Let my accusers be clothed withdisgrace, and let them wear their shame like a robe. 30I willgreatly praise the LORD with my mouth. Yes, I will praise Himamong the multitude. 31For He will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who unjustly accuse them.



Psalm 110-111

631

A psalm of David.

The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right handuntil I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

2 The LORD will extend Your mighty sceptre from Zion. Youwill rule over Your enemies. 3Your people will willingly followYou on Your day of battle. You will come in holy splendour,like the dawn of a new day, full of strength and vigour.

4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “Youare a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

5 The Lord is at Your right hand. He will shatter kings on theday of His wrath. 6He will judge the nations, filling them withdead bodies. He will shatter the rulers of many countries. 7Hewill not faint along the way. He will lift up His head in victory.

Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with all myheart, in the council of the upright and in the con-

gregation.

2 The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who de-light in them. 3His works are full of majesty and splendour,and His righteousness endures forever. 4He has caused Hiswonderful works to be remembered. The LORD is gracious andfull of compassion. 5He has provided food for those who revereHim. He will always remember His covenant. 6He has shownHis people the power of His works, by giving them the lands of

other nations for their inheritance. 7 The works of His handsare truth and justice, and all His precepts are trustworthy, 8es-tablished forever and ever, carried out in truth and upright-ness. 9He provided redemption for His people. He ordained Hiscovenant forever. His name is holy and awesome.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. All whoobey His commandments have good understanding. His praiseendures forever!

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Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who reveresthe LORD, who greatly delights in His command-

ments! 2His descendants will be mighty in the land. Thegeneration of the upright will be blessed. 3Wealth and richesare in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 4Lightshines for the upright in times of darkness. They are gracious,compassionate, and righteous. 5A good man shows favour andlends. He conducts his business prudently. 6He will never beshaken; the righteous will be remembered forever. 7He will notbe afraid of bad news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in theLORD. 8His heart is sustained, he will not be afraid. In the endhe will look in triumph on his enemies. 9He has scattered

abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness enduresforever. His horn (strength) will be exalted with honour. 10 Thewicked will see this and become angry. They will gnash theirteeth and waste away. The desires of the wicked will perish.

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O you servantsof His! Praise the name of the LORD! 2Blessed be

the name of the LORD, both now and forever! 3From the rising

of the sun to its going down, the LORD’s name is to be praised!

4 The LORD is exalted above all the nations, His glory abovethe heavens! 5Who is like the LORD our God, who is enthronedon high, 6who stoops down to look upon the heavens and theearth? 7He raises up the poor from the dust and lifts up theneedy from the dunghill, 8to make them sit with nobles—withthe nobles of His people. 9He gives the barren woman a family,making her the joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!

When Israel came out of Egypt—the house of Jacobfrom a people who spoke a different language—

2 Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His kingdom.

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3 The Red Sea saw this, and retreated;194 the Jordan Riverwas driven back.195 4 The mountains leaped like rams, the hillslike lambs.

5O Red Sea, why did you retreat? O Jordan River, why did you turn back? 6O mountains, why did you leap like rams? Ohills, why did you leap like lambs?

7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the pres-ence of the God of Jacob, 8who turned the rock into a pool of water, the hard rock into springs of water.196

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name bethe glory, because of Your lovingkindness, because

of Your truth. 2Why should the nations say, “Where is theirGod?” 3Our God, however, is in heaven. He does whatever Hepleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.5 They have mouths, but cannot speak. They have eyes, but

cannot see. 6 They have ears, but cannot hear. They havenoses, but cannot smell. 7 They have hands, but cannot feel.

They have feet, but cannot walk. They cannot even make asound with their throats. 8All who make idols, and all whotrust in them, will become like them.

9O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is your helper and yourshield. 10O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is yourhelper and your shield. 11You who revere the LORD, trust in

the LORD! He is your helper and your shield. 12 The LORD hasbeen mindful of us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. 13 The LORD will blessthose who revere Him, both small and great.

14May the LORD increase the numbers of both you and yourchildren. 15May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heav-en and earth. 16 The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth

194 Exodus 14:21-22195 Joshua 3:14-17196 Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:1-13

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He has given to the sons of men. 17 The dead do not praise theLORD, nor do any of those who go down to the silence of thegrave. 18But we will bless the LORD, both now and forever!Praise the LORD!

I love the LORD, because He has heard my voiceand my petitions. 2I will call upon Him as long as I

live, because He has turned His ear towards me.

3Indeed, the cords of death had me ensnared. The anguishof the grave had its grip on me. Overwhelmed by affliction and

grief, 4I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, please saveme!”

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous. Indeed, our God ismerciful! 6 The LORD protects those who sincerely trust in Him.When I was helpless, He saved me. 7Return to your rest, O mysoul, for the LORD has been generous to you. 8For You havedelivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feetfrom stumbling. 9I will walk before the LORD in the land of the

living.

10I believed, therefore I have spoken: “I am greatly afflicted.”11I said in my alarm, “All men are liars!”

12How can I repay the LORD for all the good He has done forme? 13I will lift up the cup of salvation; I will offer a drinkoffering, and call upon the name of the LORD. 14I will fulfill myvows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.

15Percious in the sight of the LORD is the death of Hissaints. 16I am indeed Your servant, O LORD. I am Your servant,the son of Your maidservant. You have freed me from mychains.

17I will sacrifice a thank offering to You, and will call uponthe name of the LORD. 18I will fulfill my vows to the LORD inthe presence of all His people, 19in the courts of the LORD’s

house—within you, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

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my deliverer. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has becomethe cornerstone. 23 This is the LORD’s doing, and it is marvel-lous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the LORD has made; letus rejoice and be glad in it.

25Please, O LORD, deliver us! Please, O LORD, grant us suc-cess! 26Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. Webless you from the house of the LORD. 27 The LORD is God,and He has shown us His light. Tie the festival sacrifice withropes to the horns of the altar. 28You are my God, and I willpraise You! You are my God, and I will exalt You! 29O givethanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His lovingkindness en-

dures forever!

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, whowalk in the law of the LORD. 2Blessed are those who

keep His statutes, who seek Him wholeheartedly. 3Indeed, theydo nothing unrighteous; they walk in His ways. 4You have com-manded us to diligently keep Your precepts. 5Oh how I wish myways were committed to keeping Your decrees! 6 Then I would

not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments. 7I willpraise You with an upright heart, as I learn Your righteous or-dinances. 8I will keep Your decrees; do not utterly forsake me!

9How can a young man keep his way pure? By living ac-cording to Your word. 10Wholeheartedly I have sought You. Donot let me wonder from Your commandments. 11I have treas-ured Your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against You.12Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your decrees! 13With my

lips I declare all the ordinances You have spoken. 14I delight infollowing Your statutes, as one delights in having great riches.15I will meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. 16Iwill delight myself in Your decrees. I will not forget Your word.

17Deal bountifully with Your servant, so that I may live andkeep Your word. 18Open my eyes, so that I may see the won-derful things in Your law. 19I am a stranger on earth. Do nothide Your commandments from me. 20My soul constantly aches

and longs for Your ordinances. 21

You rebuke the arrogant, who

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are cursed, who stray from Your commandments. 22Removefrom me their insults and scorn, for I have kept Your statutes.23Even though rulers sit and conspire against me, I, Your serv-ant, will meditate on Your decrees. 24Indeed, Your statutes aremy delight; they give me guidance.

25My soul clings to the dust. Revive me according to Yourword. 26I confessed my ways, and You answered me. Teach meYour decrees. 27Help me to understand the path of Your pre-cepts, so that I may meditate on Your wonderful works. 28Mysoul weeps with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word.29Keep me from deceitful ways, and give me the grace to obey

Your law. 30I have chosen the way of truth. I have set Yourordinances before me. 31I cling to Your statutes. O LORD, donot let me be ashamed! 32I run in the path of Your command-ments, for You have enlarged my heart.

33 Teach me, O LORD, the path of Your decrees, and I willkeep them to the end. 34Give me understanding, so that I maykeep Your law and obey it wholeheartedly. 35Lead me in thepath of Your commandments, for I delight in them. 36 Turn my

heart towards Your statutes, and not towards dishonest gain.37 Turn my eyes from looking at what is worthless. Revive me inYour ways. 38Fulfill Your promise to Your servant, so that Youmay be revered. 39 Take away the insults that I dread, for Yourordinances are good. 40Look, I long for Your precepts. Reviveme in Your righteousness.

41Let Your lovingkindness come to me, O LORD, Your salva-tion, as You promised. 42 Then I will have an answer for those

who insult me, for I trust in Your word. 43Do not snatch theword of truth completely from my mouth, for I have placed myhope in Your ordinances. 44I will always keep Your law, foreverand ever. 45I will walk in freedom, for I seek Your precepts. 46Iwill speak of Your statutes before kings, and I will not be putto shame. 47I will delight myself in Your commandments, whichI love. 48I will reach out my hands to Your commandments,because I love them. I will meditate on Your decrees.

49

Remember the promise You made to Your servant, in whichYou have caused me to hope. 50Your promise revives me; it hasbeen my comfort in all my afflictions. 51 The arrogant have



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utterly scorned me, but I have not departed from Your law. 52Ihave remembered Your ordinances of old, O LORD, and I havetaken comfort in them. 53Burning indignation has seized me,because of the wicked who forsake Your law. 54Your decreeshave been my songs in the place of my sojourning. 55I have re-membered Your name in the night, O LORD, and I have keptYour law. 56 This has been my practice, for Your precepts aredear to me.

57You are my portion, O LORD. I have promised to keep Yourwords. 58Wholeheartedly I have sought Your favour, so be mer-ciful to me according to Your promise. 59I have considered my

ways, and I have turned my steps to Your statutes. 60I havehurried; I have not delayed to keep Your commandments.61 Though the ropes of the wicked have wrapped around me, Ihave not forgotten Your law. 62At midnight I will rise to givethanks to You for Your righteous ordinances. 63I am a friend of all who revere You, of all who keep Your precepts. 64O LORD,the earth is full of Your lovingkindness. Teach me Your de-crees.

65You have been good to Your servant, O LORD, just as Youpromised. 66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I be-lieve in Your commandments. 67Before I was afflicted I went a-stray, but now I keep Your word. 68You are good, and You dowhat is good. Teach me Your decrees. 69 The arrogant havesmeared me with lies, but I will keep Your precepts whole-heartedly. 70Even though their hearts are fat and prosperous, Iwill delight in Your law. 71My affliction was good for me, be-cause it made me learn Your decrees. 72 The law from Your

mouth is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold andsilver.

73Your hands have made me and formed me. Give me un-derstanding, so that I can learn Your commandments. 74 Thenthose who revere You will see me and be glad, because I havehoped in Your word. 75I know, O LORD, that Your decisions areright, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. 76Pleaselet Your lovingkindness comfort me, just as You promised Your

servant. 77

Let Your tender mercies come to me so that I maylive, for Your law is my delight. 78Let the arrogant be put toshame, for they oppress me with lies. But as for me, I will med-



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itate on Your precepts. 79Let those who revere You and knowYour statutes turn to me. 80May my heart be blameless inkeeping Your decrees, so that I will not be put to shame.

81My soul grows faint, longing for Your deliverance. I haveplaced my hope in Your word. 82My eyes grow faint, longing forYour promise. I ask, “When will You comfort me?” 83For I amlike a wineskin dried up in the smoke, yet I have not forgottenYour decrees. 84How long must Your servant wait? When willYou execute judgment on those who persecute me? 85 The arro-gant have dug pits for me, which violates Your law. 86All Yourcommandments are trustworthy. Protect me from those who

persecute me for no reason. 87 They have almost wiped me off the face of the earth, but I have not abandoned Your precepts.88Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I cankeep the statutes of Your mouth.

89Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. 90Yourfaithfulness continues from generation to generation. You es-tablished the earth, and it stands. 91Heaven and earth stand tothis day according to Your ordinances, for all things serve You.92If Your law had not been my delight, I would have perished inmy affliction. 93I will never forget Your precepts, for by themYou have revived me. 94I am Yours, so please save me, for Ihave sought Your precepts. 95 The wicked lie in wait to destroyme, but I focus on Your statutes. 96I have seen a limit to allperfection, but Your commandments are limitless.

97How I love Your law! It is my meditation all day long. 98Yourcommandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are

always with me. 99I have more understanding than all myteachers, for I meditate on Your statutes. 100I have more under-standing than my elders, for I keep Your precepts. 101I havekept my feet from every evil path, so that I might keep Yourword. 102I have not turned aside from Your ordinances, for YouYourself have taught me. 103How sweet are Your words to mytaste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 Through Your pre-cepts I gain understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

105

Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto mypath. 106I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, that I will keepYour righteous ordinances. 107I am terribly afflicted. Revive me,



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O LORD, according to Your word. 108Please accept the freewillofferings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me Your ordinances.109My life is constantly in danger, yet I do not forget Your law.110 The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayedfrom Your precepts. 111Your statutes are my inheritance for-ever; they are the joy of my heart. 112I have set my heart onkeeping Your decrees forever, even to the end.

113I hate the double-minded, but I love Your law. 114You aremy hiding place and my shield. I place my hope in Your word.115Depart from me you evildoers, so that I can keep the com-mandments of my God. 116Sustain me according to Your prom-

ise, so that I may live. Let me not be ashamed of my hope.117Help me, so that I can be delivered, so that I can continuelooking on Your decrees. 118You reject all those who stray fromYour decrees, for their own lies deceive them. 119You remove allthe wicked of the earth like dross. Therefore I love Your stat-utes. 120My flesh trembles in reverence of You; I am afraid of Your judgments.

121I have done what is just and right. Do not leave me to my

oppressors. 122Guarantee Your servant’s well-being. Do not letthe arrogant oppress me. 123My eyes grow faint, longing forYour deliverance, longing for Your righteous promise. 124Dealwith Your servant according to Your lovingkindness, and teachme Your decrees. 125I am Your servant. Give me understand-ing, so that I may know Your statutes. 126It is time for You toact, O LORD, for they have broken Your law. 127But I love Yourcommandments more than gold, more than pure gold. 128In-deed, I consider all Your precepts right, every one of them. I

hate every false way.

129Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I keep them. 130 Therevelation of Your word gives light. It gives understanding tothe simple. 131I open my mouth and pant with longing for Yourcommandments. 132 Turn to me and have mercy on me, for Youdeal justly with those who love Your name. 133Direct my stepsin Your word, and do not let any sin have dominion over me.134Deliver me from the oppression of man, so that I can keep

Your precepts. 135

Make Your face to shine upon Your servant,and teach me Your decrees. 136Rivers of water flow from myeyes, because people do not keep Your law.



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137You are righteous, O LORD, and Your ordinances are up-right. 138Your statutes, which You have commanded, are right-eous and very trustworthy. 139My zeal consumes me, becausemy enemies have forgotten Your words. 140Your word is pureand true, and Your servant loves it. 141I am small and despis-ed, yet I do not forget Your precepts. 142Your righteousness isan everlasting righteousness, and Your law is true. 143 Troubleand anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments aremy delight. 144Your righteous statutes are everlasting; give meunderstanding, and I will live.

145I cry out with all my heart! Answer me, O LORD! I will

keep Your decrees! 146I cry out to You! Save me, so that I cankeep Your statutes! 147I rise before dawn and cry out to You. Iplace my hope in Your word. 148My eyes anticipate the nightwatches, so that I can meditate on Your word. 149Hear my voiceaccording to Your lovingkindness. Revive me, O LORD, accord-ing to Your ordinances. 150 Those who pursue wickedness drawnear; they are far from Your law. 151You are near, O LORD, andall Your commandments are true. 152Long ago I learned fromYour statutes, that You have established them forever.

153Look on my affliction, and deliver me, for I have not for-gotten Your law. 154Defend my cause and deliver me. Revive meaccording to Your promise. 155Salvation is far from the wicked,for they do not seek Your decrees. 156Great are Your tendermercies, O LORD. Revive me according to Your ordinances.157Many are my persecutors and my enemies, yet I have notturned aside from Your statutes. 158I look at those transgres-sors with disgust, because they do not keep Your word. 159See

how I love Your precepts. Revive me, O LORD, according toYour lovingkindness. 160 The foundation of Your word is truth,and all Your righteous ordinances endure forever.

161Rulers persecute me for no reason, but my heart standsin awe of Your word. 162I rejoice in Your word, like one whofinds great spoil. 163I hate and despise falsehood, but I loveYour law. 164I praise You seven times a day because of Yourrighteous ordinances. 165 Those who love Your law have great

peace; no stumbling block is in their way. 166

I wait for Yourdeliverance, O LORD, and I follow Your commandments. 167My



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soul keeps Your statutes; I love them dearly. 168I keep Yourprecepts and Your statutes; You know all my ways.

169Let my cries come before You, O LORD. Give me under-standing according to Your word. 170Let my petition come be-fore You; deliver me according to Your promise. 171Let my lipsoverflow with praise, for You have taught me Your decrees.172Let my tongue sing of Your word, for all Your command-ments are righteous. 173Let Your hand help me, for I have cho-sen Your precepts. 174I long for Your deliverance, O LORD. Yourlaw is my delight. 175Let my soul live, so that I can praise You.Let Your ordinances help me. 176I have wondered off like a lost

sheep. Seek Your servant, for I have not forgotten Your com-mandments.

A song for the worshipers going up to Jerusalem.197

In my distress I cried out to the LORD, and He an-swered me. 2Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying

lips, and from deceitful tongues. 3O deceitful tongue, what will

be given to you, or what will be done to you? 4You will be pun-ished with the sharp arrows of the warrior, and with the burn-ing coals of the broom tree.

5Woe is me, it is as if I am a foreigner among the barbariansof Meshech, as if I live among the savages of Kedar! 6I havelived far too long with those who hate peace. 7I am for peace,but when I speak, they are for war.

A song for the worshipers going up to Jerusalem.

I will lift my eyes up unto the mountains. Wheredoes my help come from? 2My help comes from the

LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

197 Deuteronomy 16:16

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3He will not allow your foot to slip. He who protects you willnot slumber. 4Look! He who protects Israel will not slumber orsleep!

5 The LORD is your protector. The LORD is the shade at yourright hand. 6 The sun will not harm you by day or the moon bynight.

7 The LORD will protect you from all harm. He will protect your soul. 8 The LORD will protect you as you come and go, bothnow and forevermore.

A song for the worshipers going up to Jerusalem.A psalm of David.

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to thehouse of the LORD!” 2Our feet will stand within your

gates, O Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem, built as a city of fellowship and unity. 4 The

tribes of the LORD go up to Jerusalem to give thanks to thename of the LORD, which is an ordinance for Israel. 5 Thronesare in her for judging, the thrones of the house of David.

6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May all who love her pros-per! 7May peace be within her walls, and prosperity within herpalaces!” 8For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Maypeace be within you, O Jerusalem!” 9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.


I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heav-en. 2As the eyes of a slave look to the hand of his

master, as the eyes of a slave-girl to the hand of her mistress,so our eyes look to the LORD our God until He shows usfavour.

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3Show us favour, O LORD, show us favour, for we have hadmore than enough disrespect. 4We have had more than enoughridicule from those who live at ease, more than enough disre-spect from the arrogant.


If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israelrepeat— 2if the LORD had not been on our side

when men attacked us, 3then they would have swallowed usalive when their anger burned against us. 4 Then the waterswould have engulfed us; the torrents would have swept overus. 5Indeed, the raging waters would have swept over us anddrowned us.

6Blessed be the LORD, who did not let us be torn apart byour enemies. 7We escaped like a bird from the snare of thefowler. The snare broke, and we escaped. 8Our help is in thename of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.


Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,which cannot be moved, which remains forever. 2As

the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surroundsHis people, both now and forevermore.

3 The sceptre of the wicked will not rest permanently on theland allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous use theirhands to do evil.

4Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to those who areupright in heart. 5But for those who turn aside to followcrooked ways, the LORD will lead them away to be punishedwith the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel!

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When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,we were like those who dreamed. 2Our mouths werefilled with laughter, and our tongues with singing. Among thenations it was said, “The LORD has done great things forthem.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we areglad!

4Bring back the remaining captives, O LORD, as You bringback the dried up streams of the Negev. 5 Those who sow withtears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping,carrying seed for sowing, will return with songs of joy, carryingbundles of grain with them.

A song for the worshipers going up to Jerusalem.A psalm of Solomon.

Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders la-bour in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the

guards keep watch in vain. 2It is vain for a man to get up earlyand stay up late, labouring hard for food to eat—for the LORDprovides for His beloved even while they sleep.

3Look! Children are a gift from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is a blessing. 4Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,so are children born in one’s youth. 5Blessed is the man whosequiver is full of them. He will not be disappointed when theyconfront their enemies at the city gate.


Blessed is everyone who reveres the LORD, whowalks in His ways! 2You will eat the fruit of your la-

bour. You will be happy, and it will be well with you. 3Your wifewill be like a fruitful vine within your house. Your children willbe like young olive trees around your table. 4 This is how the

LORD will bless the man who reveres Him.

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5May the LORD bless you from Zion, and may you see theprosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! 6And may yousee your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!


They have oppressed me greatly since my youth— let Israel repeat— 2they have oppressed me greatly

since my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 Theyploughed my back, and made their furrows long. 4But the LORDis righteous; He has cut me free from the ropes of the wicked.

5Let all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. 6Let thembe like grass that grows on the roof, which withers before itcan grow up. 7Indeed, it cannot fill the reaper’s hands, or thearms of those who gather in the bundles of grain. 8Let thosewho pass by never say, “May the LORD’s blessing be upon you!We bless you in the name of the LORD!”


Out of the depths I cry out to You, O LORD! 2Hearmy voice, O Lord! Let Your ears be attentive to the

sound of my petitions!

3If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who couldstand? 4But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may berevered.

5I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I placemy hope. 6My soul waits for the Lord more intently thanwatchmen wait for the morning; indeed, more intently thanwatchmen wait for the morning.

7O Israel, place your hope in the LORD! For with the LORDthere is lovingkindness, and with Him there is abundant re-demption. 8He will redeem Israel from all their sins.

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O LORD, my heart is not arrogant. My eyes are notconceited. I do not concern myself with matters too

great for me, or with things too difficult for me. 2Rather I amlike a little child, calm and quiet, on its mother lap. As a childis dependent on its mother, so am I dependent on You.

3O Israel, place your hope in the LORD, both now and forev-ermore!


O LORD, remember David and all his afflictions.2Remember how he swore an oath to the LORD, and

vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob: 3“Surely I will not enter myhouse or get into my bed, 4I will not allow my eyes to sleep ormy eyelids to slumber, 5until I find a place for the LORD, adwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

6When we heard of the whereabouts of the Ark in Eph-rathah, we went and found it in the fields of Jaar. 7Let us go toHis dwelling place! Let us worship at His footstool! 8Arise, OLORD, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might!9Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness! Let Your saintsshout for joy!

10For Your servant David’s sake, do not reject Your anointed

king! 11 The LORD swore an oath to David in truth, an oath Hewill not break: “I will place one of your own descendants on

your throne. 12If your sons keep My covenant and My statutes,which I will teach them, then their sons will sit on your throneforever.”

13For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for Hisdwelling place: 14“This is My resting place forever. I will dwellhere, for I have desired it. 15I will abundantly bless its food. I

will satisfy its poor with bread. 16I will clothe its priests withsalvation, and its saints will shout for joy. 17Here I will make

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the horn (strength) of David grow. I have prepared a lamp (suc-cessor) for My anointed king. 18I will clothe his enemies withshame, but the crown he wears will shine and flourish.”


See how good and pleasant it is when brothers livetogether in unity! 2It is like precious oil poured on

the head, running down on the beard—Aaron’s beard—and allthe way down to the bottom of his garments. 3It is like theheavy dew of Mount Hermon, falling on Mount Zion. From Zionthe LORD commands His blessing—life everlasting.


Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of theLORD, who minister by night in the house of the

LORD! 2Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless theLORD!

3May the LORD, who made heaven and earth, bless youfrom Zion!

Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD!Praise Him, O you servants of the LORD, 2who min-

ister in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of

our God! 3Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good! Sing praisesto His name, for it is lovely! 4For the LORD has chosen Jacobfor Himself, Israel as His special possession.

5I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is above allgods. 6 The LORD does whatever He pleases in heaven and onearth, in the seas and all the depths. 7He makes the cloudsrise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning and rain.He brings the wind out from His storehouses.

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8He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both man andbeast.198 9He sent signs and wonders into the midst of Egypt,against Pharaoh and all his servants. 10He struck down manynations, and killed mighty kings— 11Sihon king of the Amorites,Og king of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan.199 12He gavetheir land as an inheritance, an inheritance to His people Israel.

13Your name, O LORD, endures forever, Your fame, O LORD,from generation to generation. 14For the LORD will give justiceto His people, and will show compassion to His servants.

15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the

hands of men. 16 They have mouths, but cannot speak. Theyhave eyes, but cannot see. 17 They have ears, but cannot hear.Indeed, there is no breath in their mouths. 18All who makeidols, and all who trust in them, will become like them.

19Bless the LORD, O house of Israel! Bless the LORD, O houseof Aaron! 20Bless the LORD, O house of Levi! You who reverethe LORD, bless the LORD! 21Bless the LORD from Zion! BlessHim who dwells in Jerusalem! Praise the LORD!

O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for Hislovingkindness endures forever. 2O give thanks to

the God of gods, for His lovingkindness endures forever. 3Ogive thanks to the Lord of lords, for His lovingkindness en-dures forever.

4O give thanks to Him who alone does great wonders, for

His lovingkindness endures forever. 5O give thanks to Him whomade the heavens with skill, for His lovingkindness enduresforever. 6O give thanks to Him who spread out the land abovethe waters, for His lovingkindness endures forever. 7O givethanks to Him who made the heavenly lights, for His loving-kindness endures forever; 8the sun to rule by day, for Hislovingkindness endures forever; 9the moon and stars to rule bynight, for His lovingkindness endures forever.

198 Exodus 12:29199 Numbers 21:21-35; Deuteronomy 2:24-37, 3:1-11

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10O give thanks to Him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for His lovingkindness endures forever. 11O give thanksto Him who brought Israel out of Egypt, for His lovingkindnessendures forever; 12with a strong hand and an outstretchedarm, for His lovingkindness endures forever. 13O give thanks toHim who divided the Red Sea, for His lovingkindness enduresforever. 14O give thanks to Him who led Israel through themidst of it, for His lovingkindness endures forever; 15but over-threw Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His loving-kindness endures forever. 16O give thanks to Him who led Hispeople through the wilderness, for His lovingkindness enduresforever.

17O give thanks to Him who struck down great kings, forHis lovingkindness endures forever; 18and killed mighty kings,for His lovingkindness endures forever; 19Sihon king of theAmorites, for His lovingkindness endures forever; 20and Ogking of Bashan, for His lovingkindness endures forever; 21andgave their land as an inheritance, for His lovingkindness en-dures forever; 22as an inheritance to His servant Israel, for Hislovingkindness endures forever.

23It is He who remembered us in our low estate, for His lov-ingkindness endures forever; 24and has rescued us from ourenemies, for His lovingkindness endures forever; 25who givesfood to all flesh, for His lovingkindness endures forever.

26O give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindnessendures forever.

By the rivers of Babylon, we sat down and weptwhen we remembered Zion. 2 There we hung our

harps on the willow trees. 3 There our captors demanded us tosing. Our oppressors wanted us to sing songs of joy, saying,“Sing to us one of the songs of Zion!”

4How can we sing the LORD’s songs in a foreign land? 5If Iforget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill! 6Let

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my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.

7Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites said on that dayin Jerusalem: “Demolish it! Demolish it, right down to its foun-dations!” 8O daughter of Babylon, who is to be destroyed, bless-ed is the one who repays you as you have done to us. 9Blessedis the one who grabs your babies and smashes them againstthe rocks!

A psalm of David.

Not to other gods, but to You alone will I singpraise! I will praise You with all my heart! 2I will

bow down toward Your holy tabernacle, and I will praise Yourname because of Your lovingkindness and Your truth, for Youhave exalted Your name and Your word above all else. 3On theday that I cried out to You, You answered me, and You encour-aged and strengthened my soul.

4All the kings of the earth will praise You, O LORD, whenthey hear the words of Your mouth. 5 They will sing of the waysof the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.

6 Though the LORD is exalted, He looks upon the lowly. Butthe arrogant He watches from a distance. 7 Though I walk inthe midst of trouble, You will preserve my life. You will stretchout Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Yourright hand will save me. 8 The LORD will fulfill His purpose for

me. Your lovingkindness, O LORD, endures forever. Do not for-sake the works of Your hands!


O LORD, You have searched me, and You know me.2You know my sitting down and my standing up.

You understand my thoughts from afar. 3You sift me, whether

I am walking about or lying down. You are familiar with all myways. 4You know what I am about to say, O LORD, even before

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the words are formed with my tongue. 5You have completelysurrounded me, front and back, and have placed Your handupon me. 6Your boundless knowledge is too wonderful for me,too high for me to attain.

7Where can I go from Your Spirit, or where can I flee fromYour presence? 8If I go up to heaven, You are there. If I makemy bed in hell, You are there. 9If I fly on the wings of the dawn,if I land on the other side of the sea, 10even there Your handwill guide me, even there Your right hand will hold me. 11If Isay, “Surely the darkness will cover me; the light around mewill be as dark as night.” 12But even darkness is not dark to

You. Night shines like the day to You, because darkness andlight are the same to You.

13For You created my whole being. You knit me together inmy mother’s womb. 14I praise You, because I am awesomelyand wonderfully made. Marvellous is Your workmanship—of this I am fully aware. 15My substance was not hidden from Youwhen I was made in secret, when I was woven together insidethe womb. 16Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days of

my life were written in Your book before I was even born.

17How precious are Your thoughts to me, O God! How greatis the number of them! 18If I could count them, they would bemore numerous than the sand. And when I am awake, I amconstantly thinking of You.

19If only You would kill the wicked, O God! Depart from me, you bloodthirsty men! 20For they speak wickedly about You.

Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21Do I not hate thosewho hate You, O LORD? Do I not detest those who rise up a-gainst You? 22I utterly hate them! I count them as my en-emies!

23Search me, O God, and know my heart. Test me, and knowmy thoughts. 24See if there is any wicked thing in me. Lead mein the path of everlasting life!



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Deliver me, O LORD, from evil men! Protect me fromviolent men, 2who plan evil things in their heartsand constantly stir up conflicts. 3 They sharpen their tongueslike a serpent. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Selah

4Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Protect mefrom violent men, who plan to trip up my feet. 5 The arroganthave laid a trap for me with ropes. They have spread their netsby the roadside. They have set snares for me. Selah

6I said to the LORD, “You are my God! Listen, O LORD, to thesound of my petitions!” 7O God, my Lord, the strength of mysalvation, You have protected my head in the day of battle. 8OLORD, do not give the wicked what they want. Do not let theirevil plans succeed, or they will become arrogant. Selah

9As for the heads of those who surround me, let the threatsof their lips come upon their own heads! 10Let burning coalsfall upon them! Let them be thrown into the fire, into deep pits,

never to rise again! 11Do not let slanderers prosper in the land.Let evil hunt down the violent man to overthrow him.

12I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the af-flicted, and justice for the needy. 13Surely the righteous willgive thanks to Your name. The upright will live in Your pres-ence.

A psalm of David.

I cry out to You, O LORD, come quickly to me! Listento my voice when I cry out to You! 2Let my prayer

be set before You like incense. Let the lifting up of my handsbe like the evening sacrifice.

3Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over thedoors of my lips. 4Do not let my heart turn aside to anything

evil, or allow me to act wickedly with men who are evildoers.Do not let me eat their delicacies.

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5Let the righteous correct me—it is an act of kindness. Letthem rebuke me—it is like fragrant oil on my head; let myhead not refuse it. But my prayers are always against thosewho do evil.

6When their rulers are overthrown in rocky places, the peo-ple will listen to my words, for they are pleasant. 7As when aman ploughs and breaks up the ground, so our bones arescattered at the mouth of the grave.

8But my eyes are on You, O Lord GOD. I place my trust inYou. Do not leave my soul defenceless. 9Protect me from the

traps they have set for me, from the snares of evildoers. 10Letthe wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape.

A prayer of David, when he was in the cave. For thepurpose of instruction.

I cry out to the LORD with my voice. With my voiceI petition the LORD. 2I pour out my complaint be-

fore Him. I tell Him all my troubles.

3When my spirit is overwhelmed within me, You alone knowwhich way I should turn. In the path where I walk, my enemieshave hidden a trap for me. 4Look to my right and see; no one isconcerned for me. There is no escape for me; no one cares formy soul.

5I cry out to You, O LORD. I say, “You are my refuge, my

portion in the land of the living.”

6Pay attention to my cry, for I have been brought very low.Deliver me from those who pursue me, for they are too strongfor me. 7Bring my soul out of prison, so that I can praise Yourname. Indeed, the righteous will gather around me, for Youwill deal bountifully with me.

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A psalm of David.

Hear my prayer, O LORD! Listen to my petitions! InYour faithfulness and righteousness, answer me!2Do not bring Your servant into judgment, for no living personis righteous in Your sight. 3My enemy persecutes my soul. Hecrushes my life to the ground. He makes me live in darkplaces, like those long dead. 4My spirit is overwhelmed withinme. My heart is devastated. 5I remember the days of old. Imeditate on all that You have done. I ponder the works of Yourhands. 6I stretch out my hands to You. Like dry land, my soulthirsts for You. Selah

7Quickly answer me, O LORD! My spirit faints within me.Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who godown to the pit. 8Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morn-ing, for I trust in You. Let me know the way I should take, for Ilift up my soul to You. 9Deliver me from my enemies, O LORD,for I take refuge in You. 10 Teach me to do Your will, for You aremy God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 11Reviveme, O LORD, for Your name’s sake. For Your righteousness’

sake, bring my soul out of trouble. 12In Your lovingkindness,cut off my enemies. Destroy all those who afflict my soul, for Iam Your servant.

A psalm of David.

Blessed be the LORD, my Rock—who trains myhands for war and my fingers for battle— 2my

lovingkindness, my fortress, my strong tower, my deliverer, myshield, in whom I take refuge, who has given me the authorityto rule my people.

3O LORD, what is man that You take notice of him, or theson of man that You think of him? 4Man is like a breath. Hisdays are like a fading shadow.

5Lower the heavens, O LORD, and come down. Touch the

mountains, so that they smoke. 6Send flashes of lightning, andscatter Your enemies. Shoot Your arrows, and throw them into

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confusion. 7Reach down Your hand from above! Grab me andrescue me from these deep waters, from the hands of these for-eigners, 8for they speak lies and swear false oaths.

9I will sing a new song to You, O God. I will sing praises toYou with the ten-stringed lyre. 10You are the One who givesdeliverance to kings, who rescues Your servant David from thedeadly sword. 11Grab me and rescue me from the hands of these foreigners, for they speak lies and swear false oaths.

12May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nourishedplants. May our daughters be like sculptured pillars that adorn

a palace. 13May our storehouses be filled with provisions of every kind. May the flocks in our fields multiply by the thou-sands—by the tens of thousands. 14May our cattle have manycalves. May no enemy breach our walls. May no one be takeninto captivity. May there be no wailing in our streets. 15Blessedare the people who have such blessings! Blessed are the peoplewhose God is the LORD!

A psalm of praise. A psalm of David.

I will exalt You, O God, my King! I will bless Yourname forever and ever! 2Every day I will bless You! I

will praise Your name forever and ever!

3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised! His greatnessis unsearchable! 4One generation will praise Your works to an-other, and will declare Your mighty acts. 5I will speak of the

glorious splendour of Your majesty, and of Your wonderfulworks. 6 They will speak of the power of Your awesome deeds,and I will declare Your greatness. 7 They will continually speakof the fame of Your great goodness, and they will sing of Yourrighteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger,and full of lovingkindness. 9 The LORD is good to all. His tendermercies are over all His works. 10All Your works will praise

You, O LORD. All Your saints will bless You. 11

They will speakof the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your great power.

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12 They will proclaim Your mighty acts to the sons of men, andthe glorious majesty of Your kingdom. 13Your kingdom is aneverlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures from gener-ation to generation. All the LORD’s words are trustworthy, andall His works are righteous.

14 The LORD helps all who fall, and lifts up all who are op-pressed. 15 The eyes of all look to You, and You give them theirfood at the proper time. 16You open Your hand, and satisfy thedesires of every living thing.

17 The LORD’s ways are just, and all His works are right-

eous. 18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all whocall upon Him in truth. 19He fulfills the desires of those whorevere Him; He hears their cries and saves them. 20 The LORDprotects all those who love Him, but all the wicked He willdestroy. 21My mouth will proclaim the praise of the LORD. Letall flesh bless His holy name forever and ever!

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2I

will praise the LORD as long as I live! I will singpraise to my God as long as I exist!

3Do not put your trust in nobles, in mortal man, in whomthere is no salvation. 4When they breathe their last breath,they return to the ground. On that very day their plans perish.

5Blessed is the man whose help is the God of Jacob, whosehope is in the LORD his God, 6who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them, who remains faithful forever.

7He executes justice for the oppressed. He gives food to thehungry. The LORD sets the captives free. 8 The LORD opens theeyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are oppressed.

The LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD protects foreigners.He helps the fatherless and the widow, but He turns the plansof the wicked upside down.

10

The LORD will reign forever—your God, O Zion, from gen-eration to generation! Praise the LORD!

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Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises toour God! How pleasant, how fitting to praise Him!

2 The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel.3He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds. 4Hecounts the stars by number, and calls them all by their names.5Great is our Lord. He is mighty in power. His understandingis beyond measure. 6 The LORD lifts up the afflicted, but caststhe wicked to the ground.

7Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving! Make music to ourGod on the harp! 8He covers the sky with clouds. He providesrain for the earth. He makes grass to grow on the hills. 9He

gives food to the animals, and to the young ravens that cryout.

10He does not delight in the strength of the horse. He doesnot take pleasure in the legs of the warrior. 11No! The LORDtakes pleasure in those who revere Him, in those who placetheir hope in His lovingkindness.

12Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!13For He strengthens the bars of your gates, and blesses yourchildren within you. 14He grants peace within your borders,and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

15He issues His command to the earth; His word runs swift-ly. 16He sends snow, as white as wool. He scatters frost likeashes. 17He throws His ice crystals down like breadcrumbs.Who can withstand His cold? 18He sends out His word andthey melt. He stirs up His wind, and the waters trickle and

flow.

19He has revealed His word to Jacob, His decrees and ordi-nances to Israel. 20He has not done this for any other nation— for He has not shown any other nation His laws. Praise theLORD!

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heav-

ens! Praise Him in the heights! 2

Praise Him, all Hisangels! Praise Him, all His heavenly hosts! 3Praise Him, sunand moon! Praise Him, all you shining stars! 4Praise Him, you

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heaven of heavens! Praise Him, you water vapours above theheavens! 5Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He gavethe command and they were created. 6He established them for-ever and ever. He set limits and boundaries they cannot cross.

7Praise the LORD from the earth, all you sea creatures andocean depths! 8All you lightning and hail, snow and fog, andstormy winds that obey Him! 9All you mountains and hills,fruit trees and cedars! 10All you wild animals and livestock,insects and flying birds! 11All you kings and people, nobles and

judges of the earth! 12All you young men and virgins, old menand children alike! 13Let all of you praise the name of the

LORD, for His name alone is exalted! His glory is above theheavens and the earth! 14He has exalted the horn of His peo-ple,200 which is a song of praise for all His saints, the childrenof Israel, who are near to Him. Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, Hispraise in the assembly of the saints! 2Let Israel re-

joice in their Maker! Let the sons of Zion be joyful in their

King! 3Let them praise His name with dancing. Let them singpraises to Him with the tambourine and harp. 4For the LORDdelights in His people. He crowns the humble with salvation.5Let the saints rejoice in this glory He has bestowed on them.Let them sing for joy on their beds.

6Let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands, 7to inflict vengeance on the na-tions and punishment on the peoples, 8to bind their kings with

chains and their nobles with shackles of iron, 9to carry out the judgment decreed against them—this honour has been be-stowed on all His saints. Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary! PraiseHim in His mighty heavens! 2Praise Him for His

mighty works! Praise Him for His abundant greatness! 3PraiseHim with the sound of the trumpet! Praise Him with the harp

200 He has strengthened and prospered His people.

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and lyre! 4Praise Him with tambourines and dancing! PraiseHim with stringed instruments and flutes! 5Praise Him withloud cymbals! Praise Him with clanging cymbals! 6Let eve-rything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!



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Daniel

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah,Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and

besieged it. 2And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah intohis hands, along with some of the vessels of the house of God.He carried them into the land of Shinar to the house of hisgod, and put the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

3And the king ordered Ashpenaz, the commander of his offi-cials, to bring in some of the Israelites201 from the royal familyand the nobility— 4handsome young men without any physicaldefects, who were full of wisdom, intelligence, and insight, whowere fit to serve in the king’s palace—in order to teach themthe language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5 The king allot-ted a daily portion of meat and wine for them to eat and drinkfrom the king’s food. They were to be trained for three years,and after that they were to stand before the king.

6Among these young men were some from the tribe of Judah:Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7But the commanderof the officials renamed them. Daniel he called Belteshazzar.Hananiah he called Shadrach. Mishael he called Meshach. AndAzariah he called Abednego.

8But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defilehimself with the king’s food or wine. Therefore he asked thecommander of the officials if he could abstain from the food

and wine, so that he would not defile himself. 9God caused thecommander of the officials to be kind and compassionate to-wards Daniel. 10 The commander of the officials said to Daniel,“I am afraid that my master the king, who has allotted yourfood and drink, will see that your faces look worse than theother young men. Then I would be in danger of losing myhead.”

201 Daniel was taken in the first deportation of the Jewish exilesto Babylon.

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11Daniel then said to the steward, whom the commander of the officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,and Azariah: 12“Please test your servants for ten days. Give usonly vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then look us overand compare us with the young men who are eating the king’sfood. Then deal with your servants as you see fit.” 14So heagreed, and tested them for ten days.

15And at the end of ten days they looked better and health-ier than all the young men who ate the king’s food. 16So thesteward took away their portion of the king’s food and wine,and gave them only vegetables to eat.

17Now God gave these four young men knowledge and in-sight into all kinds of literature and wisdom, and Daniel couldalso interpret various kinds of visions and dreams.

18At the end of the time, which the king set for the youngmen to enter his service, the commander of the officials broughtthem in to Nebuchadnezzar. 19When the king spoke with them,he found no one among all the young men who were as prom-

ising as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Thereforethey entered the king’s service. 20And in every matter of wisdomand understanding that the king inquired of them, he foundthem to be ten times better than all the magicians and astrol-ogers in his entire kingdom.

21And Daniel remained in service until the first year of KingCyrus.

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign he had dis-turbing dreams that troubled him, and he could not sleep.

2 Then the king gave orders to call in the magicians, astrol-ogers, sorcerers, and Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams.So they came and stood before the king. 3And the king said tothem, “I had a dream, and I am anxious to know what thedream was.”

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4 Then the Chaldeans replied to the king in Aramaic:202 “Oking, live forever! Tell us your dream, and we will interpret it.”

5 The king answered the Chaldeans, “My decision is firm: if you do not tell me the dream and its interpretation, you will becut in pieces, and your houses will be made a heap of rubble!6But if you tell me the dream and its interpretation, I will give

you gifts and rewards and great honour. Therefore, tell me thedream and its interpretation!”

7Again they answered, “Let the king tell us the dream, andwe will interpret it.”

8 The king replied, “I can see that you are trying to gaintime, because you know that my decision is firm. 9If you do not

tell me the dream, there is but one sentence awaiting you!Indeed, you have conspired to speak false and corrupt wordsto me in order to gain time. Now tell me the dream, and I willknow that you can give me its interpretation.”

10 The Chaldeans answered the king, “There is not a man onearth who can tell the king what he asks. No king, lord, orruler has ever asked such things of any magician, astrologer,or Chaldean. 11 The king is asking a difficult thing that no onecan tell him except the gods, and they do not dwell with mor-

tals.” 12 This made the king very angry and furious, and hecommanded the destruction of all the wise men of Babylon.13When the decree to kill the wise men went out, they soughtDaniel and his friends in order to kill them.

14 Then with prudence and wisdom Daniel responded to Ari-och, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to killthe wise men of Babylon. 15He asked Arioch, the king’s cap-tain, “Why is the king’s decree so severe?” Then Arioch ex-

plained the matter to Daniel. 16So Daniel went and petitionedthe king to give him some time, so that he could give the kingthe interpretation. 17 Then Daniel went home and explained thematter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 18Danielurged them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerningthis mystery, so that he and his friends would not perish withthe rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery wasrevealed to Daniel in a vision of the night, and Daniel blessed

202 From Daniel 2:4 to 7:28 the Book of Daniel is written inAramaic, and the rest of it is written in Hebrew.



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the God of heaven. 20Daniel said,

“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,for wisdom and power are His.

21He changes the times and the seasons.He removes kings, and establishes kings.He gives wisdom to the wise,

and knowledge to thosewho have understanding.

22He reveals deep and mysterious things.He knows what is hidden in darkness,

and light dwells with Him.23I thank You and praise You,

O God of my fathers,for You have given me wisdom and power.

You have revealed to mewhat we asked of You,for You have made known to usthe king’s demand.”

24 Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had ap-

pointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon, and said to him,“Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon. Take me before theking, and I will give the king the interpretation.”

25 Then Arioch brought Daniel before the king, and said tohim, “I have found a man among the exiles of Judah who canmake known the interpretation to the king.”

26 The king asked Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,“Are you able to reveal to me the dream that I saw and its inter-pretation?”

27Daniel answered the king, “No wise men, astrologers, ma-gicians, or diviners can tell you the mystery that you have de-manded to know. 28But there is a God in heaven who revealsmysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzarwhat will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions

you had while sleeping in your bed are these: 29as for you, Oking, you were in bed thinking about what would happen inthe future, and He who reveals mysteries showed you what willhappen. 30But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to

me because I have greater wisdom than anyone else, but inorder that you may know the interpretation, and that you mayunderstand the thoughts of your heart.



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31“O king, you saw an enormous statue standing before you,it was bright and awesome, and its appearance was terrifying.32 The head of the statue was pure gold, its chest and armswere silver, and its belly and thighs were bronze, 33its legswere iron, and its feet were partly iron and partly clay.203 34As

you watched, a rock was cut out, but not with hands. The rockstruck the feet of iron and clay, breaking them into pieces.35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were utterly pul-verized. They became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors. The wind carried them away, and no trace of themcould be found. But the rock that struck the statue became agreat mountain, and filled the whole earth.

36“This was the dream, and now we will tell the king its in-terpretation. 37You, O king, are the greatest of kings. For theGod of heaven has given you dominion, power, strength, andglory. 38He has placed all men, animals, and birds under yourauthority. He has made you ruler over all of them. You, O king,are the head of gold.

39“But after you, another kingdom will arise that will be in-

ferior to yours. After that, a third kingdom of bronze will ruleover the whole earth. 40 Then a fourth kingdom will arise thatwill be as strong as iron. Just as iron smashes and shattersand crushes everything, so it will crush and smash everything.41 Just as you saw that the feet and toes were party clay andpartly iron, so it will be a divided kingdom. It will have some of the strength of iron in it, just as you saw the iron mixed withmuddy clay. 42As the toes and feet were partly iron and partlyclay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.

43 Just as you saw the iron mixed with muddy clay, so therewill be a mixture of people; they will mix with the native inhab-

203 The statute in the dream represents four world empires. The head of gold: the Babylonian Empire. The chest and armsof silver: the Medo-Persian Empire. The belly and thighs of

bronze: the Greek Empire. The legs of iron: the Roman Empire. The feet and toes partly of clay and partly of iron refers to arevival of the Roman Empire. The ten toes are ten kingdomsthat will make up this Revived Roman Empire.



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itants, but will not hold together, just as iron does not mixwith clay.204

44“But in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will setup an everlasting kingdom that will never be destroyed. It willsmash all these kingdoms into pieces, putting an end to them.It, however, will stand forever. 45You, O king, saw that a rock205

was cut out of the mountain without hands; you saw that itsmashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold to pieces. Thegreat God has shown you, O king, what will happen in the fu-ture. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, paid homageto Daniel, and commanded that a grain offering and incense beoffered on his behalf. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly yourGod is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, for you were able to reveal this mystery!” 48 Then theking promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts. He alsomade him ruler over the entire province of Babylon, and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Then, at Daniel’srequest, the king set Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over

the affairs of the province of Babylon. Daniel, however, re-mained at the king’s court.

King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue that was ninetyfeet high and nine feet wide. He set it up in the plain of

Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar

204 In short, as we can see today, satan’s globalist minions aredestabilizing Europe by flooding it with muslims. I think thesethings will come to their peak at the time of the Second Seal

judgment of Revelation 6:3-4, when peace is taken from theearth and men kill one another. Then satan’s minions willcome in to save the day with their New World Order (sarcasm).205 The rock is Jesus Christ: “Of the increase of His govern-ment and peace there will be no end. He will rule on David’s

throne and over His kingdom, establishing and upholding itwith justice and righteousness, from this time forth and for-evermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will perform this”(Isaiah 9:7).

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sent word to gather together the princes, governors, captains, judges, treasurers, advisers, magistrates, and all the officialsof the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue thatKing Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3When the princes, gover-nors, captains, judges, treasurers, advisers, magistrates, andall the officials of the provinces were gathered together for thededication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up,4a herald cried out: “All people, nations, and languages, this iswhat you are commanded to do: 5as soon as you hear thesound of the horns, flutes, harps, lyres, pipes, drums, and allthe music, you must fall down and worship the gold statuethat King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6Whoever does not fall

down and worship it, will immediately be cast into the midst of a fiery furnace.” 7When all the people heard the sound of thehorns, flutes, harps, lyres, pipes, drums, and all the music, allthe people, nations, and languages fell down and worshipedthe gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

8At that time some Chaldeans came forward and broughtcharges against the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar,“O king, live forever! 10You, O king, have made a decree that

everyone who hears the sound of the horns, flutes, harps, lyres,pipes, drums, and all the music, must fall down and worshipthe gold statue. 11And whoever does not fall down and worshipit, will be cast into the midst of a fiery furnace. 12But there aresome Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of theprovince of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Thesemen, O king, have not paid attention to your decree. They donot serve your gods or worship the gold statue that you haveset up.”

13 Then Nebuchadnezzar became angry and furious andsummoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And whenthey were brought before the king, 14Nebuchadnezzar said tothem, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that youwill not serve my gods or worship the gold statue that I haveset up? 15Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of thehorns, flutes, harps, lyres, pipes, drums, and all the music, tofall down and worship the statue that I have made, very well.

But if you do not worship it, you will immediately be cast intothe midst of the fiery furnace. Then what god will be abledeliver you out of my hands?”



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16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “ONebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before

you. 17 The God we serve is truly able to deliver us from thefiery furnace. And He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.18But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, thatwe will not serve your gods or worship the gold statute that

you have set up.”

19At this, Nebuchadnezzar became even more furious. Theexpression on his face changed towards Shadrach, Meshach,and Abednego. He commanded the furnace to be heated upseven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he commanded some of

the strongest men of his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach,and Abednego, and to cast them into the fiery furnace. 21Sothey were tied up in their coats, robes, hats, and other clothes,and were cast into the midst of the fiery furnace. 22Since theking’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot, theflames of fire killed the soldiers who threw in Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego. 23But these three men, Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego, fell bound into the midst of the fieryfurnace.

24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar quickly jumped to his feet inamazement. He said to his advisers, “We threw three men intothe fiery furnace, did we not?”

They replied, “Yes, O king!”25 The king exclaimed, “Look! I see four untied men walking

in the midst of the fire, and none of them is harmed. And thefourth man looks like a son of the gods!”

26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the mouth of the fiery

furnace and called out: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!”

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of themidst of the fire. 27When the princes, governors, captains, andthe king’s advisers gathered around them, they saw that thefire had no effect on their bodies. Not a hair of their heads wassinged, their clothes were unaffected, and they did not smell of smoke.

28

Then Nebuchadnezzar raised his voice and said, “Blessedbe the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He has sentHis angel to deliver His servants who trusted in Him. They



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defied the king’s command, and risked their lives, instead of serving or worshiping any god except their own God. 29 There-fore I make this decree: any people, nation, or language thatsays anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, andAbednego, will be cut in pieces, and their houses will be madea heap of rubble, for there is no other god who is able todeliver in this way!” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach,Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.

From: King Nebuchadnezzar

To all people, nations, and languages, who live in all theearth:

May you enjoy peace and prosperity!

2It gives me great pleasure to tell you about the signsand wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

3How great are His signs,

and how mighty are His wonders!His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and His dominion is fromgeneration to generation.

4I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living at ease in my house andprospering in my palace. 5I had a dream that made meafraid. As I was lying in my bed, images and visions passedthrough my mind that terrified me. 6So I issued a decree for

all the wise men of Babylon to be brought before me, so thatthey could interpret the dream for me. 7 Then the magicians,astrologers, Chaldeans, and diviners came to me. I toldthem the dream, but they could not interpret it.

8 Then, last of all, Daniel came before me, and I told himthe dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of mygod, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) 9I said,“Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, I know that the spirit

of the holy gods is in you, and that no mystery is hiddenfrom you. Now tell me the interpretation of the visions that Isaw in my dream.

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10“While I was lying in my bed, these were the visionsthat passed through my mind:

I looked, and saw a treein the middle of the earth.

Its height was very great.11 The tree had grown large and strong.Its top reached into the heavens,

and was visible to the endsof the whole earth.

12Its leaves were beautiful.Its fruit was plentiful enough to feed all.

The animals took shelter under its shade,the birds lived in its branches,and all creatures were fed from it.

13“In the visions that passed through my mind I saw anangelic messenger, a holy angel, coming down from heaven.14He cried out:

‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches!

Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit!Let the animals flee from under it,

and the birds from its branches.15Nevertheless, leave the stump

and its roots in the ground,bind it with a band of iron and bronze,and leave it in the grass of the field.

Let him be soaked with the dew of heaven.Let his portion be with the animals

in the grass of the earth.16Let his mind be changed from that of a man,to that of an animal.

Then let seven years pass by for him.17 This decree is announced

by angelic messengers;the sentence is declared by holy angels,so that the living may knowthat the Most High rules

over the kingdoms of men,and that He gives them to anyone He wants,even setting the lowliest of men over them.’



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18“This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw.Now, Belteshazzar, tell me its interpretation, for none of thewise men of my kingdom can interpret it for me. But youcan, because the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

19 Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was aston-ished for some time, and his thoughts troubled him. So theking said, “O Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its inter-pretation trouble you.”

But Belteshazzar replied, “My lord, if only the dream andits interpretation were about your enemies and those whohate you! 20You saw a tree that had grown large and strong.

Its top reached into the heavens, and was visible to thewhole earth. 21Its leaves were beautiful. Its fruit was plenti-ful enough to feed all. The animals took shelter under it,and the birds lived in its branches. 22You, O king, are thattree. You have grown strong. Your greatness reaches to theheavens, and your dominion to the ends of the earth.

23“The king also saw an angelic messenger, a holy angel,coming down from heaven, saying,

‘Chop down the tree and destroy it!Nevertheless, leave the stump

and its roots in the ground,bind it with a band of iron and bronze,and leave it in the grass of the field.

Let him be soaked with the dew of heaven.Let his portion be with the animals

in the grass of the earth.

Then let seven years pass by for him.’

24“This is the interpretation, O king. This is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king:

25 you will be driven away from men,and you will live with the animals of the field.

You will eat grass like an ox,and you will be soaked

with the dew of heaven.



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Seven years will pass by for youuntil you acknowledge that the Most Highrules over the kingdoms of men,and that He gives them to anyone He wants.

26Now concerning the order to leave the stump and its rootsin the ground; your kingdom will be restored to you when

you acknowledge that Heaven rules. 27 Therefore, O king,please accept my advice: turn from your sin and practice

justice. Turn from your iniquity and show mercy to the op-pressed. Perhaps then your prosperity may be prolonged.”

28All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 Twelvemonths later, as he was walking on the roof of the royal pal-ace of Babylon, 30the king said, “See how great Babylon is! Ihave built it up as my royal residence, by the power of mymight, and for the splendour of my majesty.”

31While the words were still in the kings mouth, a voicefrom heaven said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, these words arefor you:

your kingdom has departed from you!32You will be driven away from men,

and you will live with the animals of the field.You will eat grass like an ox.Seven years will pass by for you

until you acknowledge that the Most Highrules over the kingdoms of men,and that He gives them to anyone He wants.”

33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Neb-uchadnezzar. He was driven away from men. He ate grasslike an ox, and his body was soaked with the dew of heaven.His hair grew long like the feathers of an eagle, and hisnails grew like the claws of a bird.

34At the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted upmy eyes to heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I

blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured Himwho lives forever:



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for His dominion is an everlasting dominion,and His kingdom enduresfrom generation to generation.

35Compared to Him,all the inhabitants of the earthare regarded as nothing.

He does what He wisheswith the hosts of heavenand the inhabitants of the earth.

No one can hold back His handor ask Him, “What are You doing?”

36At that moment my sanity was restored, along with mymajesty and splendour, and the glory of my kingdom. Myadvisers and nobles sought me out, I was restored to mythrone, and even more greatness was added to me than be-fore. 37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and hon-our the King of heaven:

for all His works are trueand His ways are just.

And He is able to humblethose who walk in pride.

Belshazzar the king held a great feast for a thousand of hisnobles, and he drank wine with them. 2While he tasted the

wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring in the gold andsilver vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken fromthe temple in Jerusalem, so that the king, his nobles, his

wives, and his concubines could drink from them. 3 Then theybrought in the gold vessels that had been taken from the tem-ple of God in Jerusalem, and the king, his nobles, his wives,and his concubines drank from them. 4As they drank the wine,they praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, andstone.

5Suddenly human fingers appeared and wrote on the plas-ter wall of the king’s palace, near the lamp stand. The king

watched as the hand wrote. 6

Then the king’s face turned paleand his thoughts terrified him; his body became weak, and hisknees began knocking together. 7 Then the king cried out for

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the astrologers, Chaldeans, and diviners to be brought in. Hesaid to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever interprets thiswriting will be clothed with purple, will have a gold chainplaced around his neck, and will be the third highest ruler inthe kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but theycould not read the writing or tell the king its interpretation.9 Then King Belshazzar became even more terrified, his faceturned pale, and his nobles were perplexed.

10When the queen mother heard the king and his nobles,she came into the banquet hall and said, “O king, live forever!Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or the countenance of your

face be so pale. 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has thespirit of the holy gods in him. In the days of your grandfatherhe was found to have insight and understanding and wisdomlike that of the gods. Your grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar,made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, anddiviners. 12His name is Daniel. The king, however, called himBelteshazzar. He excelled in knowledge and understanding, ininterpreting dreams, and in explaining and solving riddles.Now summon Daniel, and he will tell you the interpretation.”

13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king, and the kingsaid to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whommy grandfather the king brought from Judah? 14I have heardthat the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you excel in wis-dom, understanding, and insight. 15I brought in the wise menand astrologers to interpret the writing, but they could notinterpret it. 16But I have heard that you can solve and interpretriddles. If you can interpret this writing you will be clothed in

purple, you will have a gold chain placed around your neck,and you will be the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

17 Then Daniel said before the king, “You may keep yourgifts, and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, Iwill read the writing for the king, and I will tell him the inter-pretation. 18O King, the Most High God gave your grandfatherNebuchadnezzar the kingdom with its greatness, glory, andsplendour. 19Because of the greatness that He gave to him, all

people, nations, and languages trembled in fear before him. Hekilled whom he wanted, and spared whom he wanted. Heexalted whom he wanted, and brought low whom he wanted.



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20But when his heart became arrogant, and his spirit becamehardened with pride, he was removed from his royal throne,and his glory was taken from him. 21He was driven away frommen and given the mind of an animal. He lived with wild don-keys, ate grass like an ox, and his body was soaked with thedew of heaven. This happened until he acknowledged that theMost High rules over the kingdoms of men, and that He givesthem to anyone He wants. 22But you, Belshazzar, his grand-son, have not humbled your heart, even though you knew allthis. 23But you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You have had the vessels of His house brought to you,and you, your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have

drank wine from them. You have praised the gods of gold, sil-ver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear orunderstand. But you have not magnified the God who haspower over your life and everything you do. 24 Therefore He sentthe fingers of a hand, which wrote this inscription. 25And hereis what it says:

MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

26And the interpretation of the words are this:

MENE: God has numbered the days of your kingdomand has brought it to an end.

27 TEKEL: you have been weighed on the balancesand have been found wanting.

28PERES: your kingdom has been dividedand given to the Medes and Persians.”

29 Then King Belshazzar gave the command, and they cloth-ed Daniel with purple, and placed a gold chain around hisneck. Then he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in thekingdom.

30 That very night Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans,was killed. 31And Darius the Mede received the kingdom at theage of sixty-two.

It pleased Darius to appoint a hundred and twenty gover-nors to rule throughout his kingdom, 2and three admin-6



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istrators to oversee them, one of whom was Daniel. Thegovernors were accountable to them, so that the king wouldnot suffer any loss. 3Daniel distinguished himself above theother administrators and governors, because he excelled ateverything he did. Therefore the king planned to set him overthe entire kingdom. 4So the other administrators and gover-nors tried to find fault with Daniel regarding his royal duties,but they could not find any fault or any corruption. He wastrustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found inhim. 5 Then these men said, “We will not find any fault withDaniel, unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”

6 Then the administrators and governors came before theking, and said to him, “King Darius, live forever! 7All the royaladministrators, officials, governors, advisers, and deputieswould like the king to issue a decree that will be strictly en-forced. And this is the decree: whoever prays or petitions anygod or man for the next thirty days except you, O king, will bethrown into the lions’ den. 8Now, O king, issue the decree andsign it. Then it cannot be changed, in keeping with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be altered.” 9So King

Darius signed the decree into law.

10Daniel, knowing that the decree had been signed, wenthome. He went up to his upper room, where the windows wereopen towards Jerusalem. As was his custom, he knelt downand prayed, giving thanks to his God (he did this three times aday). 11 Then these men went as a group, and found Danielpraying and petitioning his God. 12 Then they went to the kingand said, “Did you not sign a decree that says: whoever prays

and petitions any god or man for the next thirty days except you, O king, will be thrown into the lions’ den?”

The king answered, “I signed it, in keeping with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be altered.”

13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the ex-iles of Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the de-cree that you signed, but prays and petitions his God threetimes a day.” 14Upon hearing this, the king became very dis-tressed. He wanted to save Daniel, and laboured until sunset

to find a way to rescue him.15 Then these men went as a group to the king, and said tohim, “You know, O king, that in keeping with the law of the



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Medes and Persians, no decree or statute that the king makescan be changed.”

16So the king gave the command, and they brought Danieland threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel,“May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” 17Astone was then placed over the mouth of the den. The kingsealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that Daniel’s situation could not be changed.

18 Then the king went to his palace, and spent the night with-out food and entertainment. All night long he could not sleep.19At the first light of dawn, the king got up and went quickly tothe lions’ den. 20When he made it to the den, he anxiouslycried out, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God,whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from thelions?”

21Daniel answered, “O king, live forever! 22My God has sentHis angel to shut the lions’ mouths. I have not been harmed,because He has found me innocent. As for you, O king, I havedone you no wrong.”

23 The king was extremely glad, and at his command Danielwas lifted out of the den. When they lifted Daniel out nowounds were found on him, because he believed in his God.

24 Then at the king’s command, the men who had accusedDaniel, along with their wives and children, were rounded upand thrown into the lions’ den. The lions overpowered them,breaking all their bones before they even hit the bottom of theden.

25 Then King Darius wrote to all people, nations, and lan-guages, who live in all the earth:

“May you enjoy peace and prosperity!

26“I issue a decree that in all my royal dominion menmust tremble in reverence before the God of Daniel:

for He is the living God,and He endures forever.



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His kingdom will never be destroyed,and His dominion will never end.

27He delivers and rescues,and performs signs and wondersin heaven and on earth.

And He has delivered Danielfrom the power of the lions.”

28So Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in thereign of Cyrus the Persian.

In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel hada dream. While he was lying in his bed, he saw visions

passing through his mind. He wrote down the dream, record-ing the visions that he had seen.

2Daniel explained and said, “This is what I saw in my visionduring the night: the four winds of heaven were stirring up thegreat sea (of the nations). 3And four great beasts206 came upfrom the sea. Each one was different from the other. 4 The first

beast207 looked like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. AsI watched, its wings were torn off.208 Then it was lifted up fromthe ground and made to stand on two feet like a man, and aman’s heart was given to it.209 5 Then a second beast210 ap-peared, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on oneside,211 with three ribs in its mouth between its teeth.212 It wastold, ‘Get up! Devour lots of flesh!’ 6After this, I saw another

206 The four great beasts represent four empires that wouldrule the earth: the Babylonian Empire, the Medo-Persian Em-pire, the Greek Empire, and the Roman Empire.207 The Babylonian Empire208 This may be referring to Nebuchadnezzar’s loss of sanityand authority (Daniel 4:31-33).209 This may be referring to Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration(Daniel 4:34-36).210

The Medo-Persian Empire211 It was raised up on one side: the Persians were more dom-inant than the Medes (Daniel 8:3).212 The Medo-Persians conquered Lydia, Babylon, and Egypt.

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beast213 that looked like a leopard. On its back it had fourwings, like the wings of a bird. The beast had four heads,214

and it was given authority to rule. 7After this, in the visions of the night, I saw a fourth beast.215 It was terrifying and dread-ful, and extremely strong, with large iron teeth. It devouredand crushed its victims, and trampled whatever was left withits feet. It was different from all the other beasts that camebefore it, and it had ten horns.216

8“While I was thinking about the horns, I saw a small horn217

that came up among them, and three of the other horns wereuprooted before it. The horn that I saw had the eyes of a man,

and a mouth that spoke arrogantly.

9“While I was watching,thrones were set in place,and the Ancient of Days took His seat.

His clothing was as white as snow,and His hair as white as wool.

His throne was ablaze with flames,and its wheels burned with fire.

10A stream of fire flowed from His presence.Millions attended Him.Hundreds of millions stood before Him.

The court convened,and the books were opened.

11“I continued to watch because of the arrogant words thatthe horn was speaking. As I watched, the beast was killed. Itsbody was destroyed, and it was thrown into the burning fire.

12As for the other beasts, their authority to rule was takenaway, but their lives were prolonged for a time and a season.

213 The Greek Empire214 The Greek Empire of Alexander the Great was divided intofour parts and ruled by four of his generals.215

The Roman Empire216 The ten horns are ten kings who will rule ten kingdomsthat will make up the revived Roman Empire.217 The antichrist



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13“In the visions of the night,I saw One who looked like a son of mancoming with the clouds of heaven.

He approached the Ancient of Daysand was brought into His presence.

14He was given authority to rule,and glory, and a kingdom,so that all people, nations,and languages should serve Him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion,which will not pass away,and His kingdom will never be destroyed.

15“I, Daniel, was deeply grieved within my spirit, and thevisions that passed through my mind terrified me. 16So I ap-proached one of those who were standing nearby, and askedhim about all these things. Then he explained the interpreta-tion to me: 17‘These four great beasts are four kingdoms thatwill rise from the earth. 18But the saints of the Most High willreceive the kingdom, and will possess the kingdom forever andever and ever.’

19“I wanted to know more about the fourth beast, which wasdifferent from all the others. The beast that was extremelydreadful, with its iron teeth and bronze claws that devouredand crushed its victims, trampling whatever was left with itsfeet. 20I wanted to know more about the ten horns on its headand about the small horn that came up, before which three of the horns fell—the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spokearrogantly, which looked greater than the others. 21As I watch-

ed, this horn made war with the saints. It overpowered them,22until the Ancient of Days came and judged in favour of thesaints of the Most High. Then the time came for the saints topossess the kingdom.

23“Then he said to me, ‘The fourth beast is a forth kingdomthat will rule the earth. It will be different from all the otherkingdoms. It will devour, trample, and crush the whole earth.



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24As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom218 ten kings willarise. Then another king will arise, different from the other ten,and he will subdue three of these kings. 25He will speakagainst the Most High, and will oppress the saints of the MostHigh. He will try to change their religious festivals and laws,and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time. 26But the court will convene, and his authority to rulewill be taken away from him—completely abolished forever.27 Then the dominion, authority, and greatness of all the king-doms under heaven will be given to the saints of the MostHigh. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rul-ers will serve and obey Him.’

28“This is the end of the account. As for me, Daniel, mythoughts greatly terrified me, and my face turned pale, but Ikept the matter to myself.”

In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, sawanother vision. 2In the vision I was in the fortress city of

Susa, in the province of Elam, beside the Ulai River. 3I looked

up, and standing beside the river was a ram with two horns.219

Its two horns were long. However, one horn was longer thanthe other, and the longer one came up last.220 4I saw the rambutting westward, northward, and southward. No animalscould stand before him, and no one could save anyone fromhis hand. He did as he pleased, and became great.

218 Out of the fourth kingdom, the Roman Empire, ten kingswill arise. They will rule ten kingdoms, which will make up theRevived Roman Empire. Then the antichrist will arise, and theten kings will give him their power and authority (Revelation17:12-13). The antichrist will kill three of these kings.219 The ram with two horns represents the Medo-Persian

Empire.220 One horn was the Medes, and the other horn was thePersians. The Medes dominated the empire at first, but thePersians became the more dominant of the two (Daniel 7:5).

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5As I was pondering all this, I saw a male goat221 with aprominent horn222 between his eyes. He was coming from thewest, crossing the face of the whole earth without touching theground. 6He approached the ram with two horns, which I hadseen standing beside the river, and charged at him in the furyof his might. 7I saw him closing in on the ram, and in a furiousraged he struck the ram and broke his two horns. The ram didnot have the strength to stand against him. So the male goatknocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and no onecould save the ram from his hand. 8 The male goat becamegreat, but at the height of his power his great horn was brokenoff. And in its place four prominent horns came up,223 pointing

to the four winds of heaven. 9Out of one of the horns came asmall horn,224 which became very great. It stretched towardsthe south, east, and towards the Beautiful Land—Israel. 10Itbecame great and attacked God’s people, casting some of themand their leaders to the ground, trampling them down. 11Itacted arrogantly against God, stopping the daily sacrifice, anddesecrating His sanctuary. 12God’s people were given to it,along with the daily sacrifice, because of their transgressions.It cast the truth to the ground, and succeeded in everything it

did.

13 Then I heard two holy angels talking together, and oneasked the other, “How long will the events of this vision last re-garding the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation,the giving over of the sanctuary, and the trampling underfootof God’s people?”

14 Then he said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and morn-ings; then the sanctuary will be restored.”225

221 The male goat represents the Greek Empire.222 The prominent horn: Alexander the Great.223 When Alexander the Great died his empire was divided intofour parts and ruled by four of his generals: Cassander, Lysim-achus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus.224 This small horn is the Seleucid king: Antiochus IV Epiph-

anes. Antiochus IV Epiphanes is a type of the antichrist.225 This refers to the rededication of the temple by the Macca-bees; the reason why Hanukkah is celebrated by the Jewishpeople (John 10:22).



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15After I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I tried making sense of it. Then suddenly, someone who looked like a man stood be-fore me. 16 Then I heard a man’s voice from between the banksof the Ulai River, saying, “Gabriel, explain the vision to thisman.” 17As he approached me, I fell facedown in fear. But hesaid to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertainsto the time of the end.” 18While he was speaking to me, I fellinto a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touchedme and stood me upright. 19 Then he said, “I will explain to youwhat will happen later in the time of wrath, for the visionpertains to the appointed time of the end. 20 The ram that yousaw with two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.21 The shaggy male goat is the kingdom of Greece, and the greathorn between his eyes is the first king.226 22His horn will bebroken off, and four horns will come up in its place. The fourhorns represent four kingdoms,227 which will come out of thatempire, but none of them will be as powerful. 23 Towards theend of their rule, when evildoers have become utterly wicked, astern-faced king228 will rise up who is cunning and deceitful.24He will be strong and mighty, but not by his own power. Hewill cause great destruction and will succeed in everything he

does. He will destroy many powerful people, including some of the holy people. 25By his cunning, he will cause deceit to pros-per. He will magnify himself in his heart, and will destroy manywho feel at ease, even rising up against the Prince of princes.Yet he will be broken, but not with human hands. 26 The visionof the evenings and mornings, which has been explained to

you, is true. Therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to manydays from now.”

27 Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and ill for several days.Afterward I got up and carried out the king’s business. I wasoverwhelmed by the vision, and I could not understand itsmeaning.

226 Alexander the Great227 Alexander’s empire was divided up into four parts:

Macedonia, Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria.228 The stern-faced king is Antiochus IV Epiphanes. It is im-portant to remember that Antiochus IV Epiphanes is a type of the antichrist.



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Now Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by descent, wasmade king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans. 2In the first

year of his reign, I, Daniel, noticed in the Scriptures, accordingto the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the Prophet, that Jerusa-lem would lie desolate for seventy years. 3So I set my face toseek the Lord God by prayers and petitions, with fasting, sack-cloth, and ashes. 4I interceded with the LORD my God andconfessed: “O Lord, You are a great and awesome God! You keepYour covenant of lovingkindness with those who love You andkeep Your commandments. 5We have sinned, we have commit-ted iniquity, we have done wickedly, we have rebelled, and wehave departed from Your commandments and Your laws. 6We

have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke inYour name to our kings, our leaders, our fathers, and to all thepeople of the land.

7“Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us uttershame, as the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalemand all Israel bear today, both near and far, in all the countrieswhere You have scattered us, because of our transgressionsthat we have committed against You. 8Utter shame belongs to

us, our kings, our leaders, and our fathers, because we havesinned against You, O Lord. 9But with the Lord our God thereis mercy and forgiveness, even though we have rebelled againstHim. 10Indeed, we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD ourGod. We have not walked in His laws, which He set before usby His servants the prophets. 11Indeed, all Israel has trans-gressed Your law. They have departed from it, and have notobeyed Your voice. So the curse and the oath that was writtenin the Law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out

upon us, because we have sinned against Him. 12He has ful-filled His words, which He spoke against us and against ourrulers, by sending this great calamity upon us. Never, underall of heaven, has anything been done like what has been doneto Jerusalem. 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, allthis calamity has come upon us. Yet we have not sought thefavour of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities andfollowing His truth. 14 The LORD has been watching, and hasbrought this calamity upon us. Indeed, the LORD our God is

righteous in all that He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.

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15“Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and gained for Yourself the renown You have today—we have sinned, we have actedwickedly. 16O Lord, according to Your great righteousness,please turn Your anger and fury away from Your city Jerusa-lem—Your holy mountain. For on account of our sins, and theiniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have be-come an object of ridicule to all those around us. 17 Therefore,O God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Yoursake, O Lord, let Your face shine upon Your desolate sanc-tuary. 18O my God, open Your ears and listen. Open Your eyesand see our desolations, and the city that is called by Your

name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You onaccount of our righteousness, but on account of Your greatmercies. 19O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act!For Your Own sake, O my God, do not delay! For Your city andYour people are called by Your name.”

20While I was saying these things in prayer, and confessingmy sins and the sins of my people Israel, and presenting mypetitions before the LORD my God concerning Jerusalem, the

holy mountain of my God— 21while I was praying, the manGabriel, whom I had seen in the previous vision, came swiftlyto me at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22He explained to me:“Daniel, I have come now to give you wisdom and under-standing. 23When you began your petitions a command wentout, which I have come to tell you about, for you are greatlybeloved. Therefore consider the matter, and understand thevision: 24Seventy weeks (seventy sevens) have been decreed for

your people and for your holy city, to put an end to their rebel-

lion, to put a stop to their sin, to make atonement for theiriniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up visionand prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.229 25Knowand understand this: there will be seven weeks and sixty-twoweeks (seven sevens and sixty-two sevens) from the time thecommand is issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until thecoming of the Messiah, the Ruler. Its streets and walls will be

229 Daniel 9:24: Seventy sevens equates to 490 years in total(70×7=490). 490 years have been decreed for your people (the

Jewish people) and for the holy city (Jerusalem).



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rebuilt, but during distressing times.230 26After the sixty-twoweeks (sixty-two sevens) are over the Messiah will be cut off,but not for Himself. Then a ruler231 and his army232 will come,and he233 will destroy the city and the sanctuary.234 The endwill come like a flood,235 and wars and desolations are decreeduntil the end.236 27And he237 will make a covenant for oneweek, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to thesacrifices and offerings. On a wing of the temple he will set upan abomination that causes desolation, until what is decreedis poured out on the desolator.”238

230 Daniel 9:25: Seven sevens (7×7=49) and sixty-two sevens(62×7=434) equates to 483 years (49+434=483). The commandto rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:1-8) happenedin 445 B.C.231 Vespasian232 The Roman army233 Titus, the son of Vespasian.234 70 A.D.235 Daniel 9:26: After the 483 years or 69 weeks are over the

Messiah will be cut off; not for His own benefit, but for ours! There was 483 (476) biblical years from 445 B.C. to 32 A.D.until the Messiah was cut off. Once this happened, Israel’sprophetic clock stopped and the church age began.236 Remember that there is more than one calendar involvedhere. So how do you get 483 years to fit from 445 B.C. to 32A.D.? Well, I will try to figure it out:

69×7×360=173,880 days—Biblical calendar.

69×7×365.25=176,415.75 days—Julian calendar.176,415.75-173,880=2,535.75 days of difference between thetwo calendars.2,535.75÷360=7.04375 years of difference according to theBiblical calendar.483-7=476 years.Remember that when calculating from B.C. to A.C. you mustsubtract one year (445+32-1=476 years).237 The antichrist238

Daniel 9:27: When the church age comes to an end and thechurch is raptured, the seventieth week of Daniel will com-mence with Israel signing a 7 year peace treaty with the anti-christ.



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In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message wasrevealed to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar. The

message was true, and it concerned great conflict. Daniel un-derstood the message, and had understanding of the vision.

2In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three fullweeks. 3I ate no rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth,and I did not anoint myself with oil until the three weeks wereover.

4On the twenty-forth day of the first month, as I was on thebank of the great Tigris River, 5I looked up and saw a man

clothed in linen. He was wearing a belt of pure gold fromUphaz. 6His body was like topaz. His face was like lightning.His eyes were like flames of fire. His arms and feet gleamedlike polished bronze. And his voice was like the voice of a mul-titude. 7Only I, Daniel, saw the vision. The men who were withme did not see the vision. However, great fear fell upon themand they fled and hide themselves. 8I was left alone and sawthis great vision. My strength drained from me and I becamedeathly pale. I had no strength left within me.

9 The man in the vision started talking. As soon as I heardhis voice, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground.10 Then he touched me and raised me to my hands and knees.11He said to me, “Daniel, you are greatly beloved. Pay atten-tion to the words that I am about to tell you. Now stand up, forI have been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stoodup trembling. 12 Then he said, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Sincethe first day you set your heart to understand and to humble

yourself before your God, your requests were heard. And I havecome in response to your prayers. 13But the angel of darknesswho presides over the kingdom of Persia withstood me fortwenty-one days. Then Michael, the archangel, came to my aid.For I was stuck there on account of the angel of darkness whopresides over the kings of Persia. 14Now I have come to explainto you what will happen to your people in the last days, for thevision concerns a time yet to come.”

15

While he was telling me these things, I bowed down withmy face to the ground and was unable to speak. 16 Then the

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angel, who looked like a man, touched my lips. Then I openedmy mouth and began to speak. I said to the one who stood be-fore me, “My lord, because of the vision, I am overcome withanguish, and my strength is gone. 17How can I speak withsomeone like you, my lord? My strength is gone and I canhardly breathe.” 18 Then the one who looked like a man touch-ed me again, and I was strengthened. 19He said, “You aregreatly beloved, do not be afraid. Peace be with you! Be strong!Yes! Be strong!” When he said this to me, I felt even strongerand said, “Speak, my lord, for my strength has returned.”20 Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? I mustreturn at once to fight against the angel of darkness who pre-

sides over Persia. Then after that, the angel of darkness whopresides over Greece will rise up. 21Yet no one stands firmlywith me against these forces except for Michael, the guardianangel of your people. Nevertheless, I will tell you what is re-corded in the Book of Truth.

“In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to en-courage and strengthen him.

2“Now I will reveal the truth to you. Behold, three more kingswill arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richerthan the others, and when he becomes strong through hiswealth, he will stir up his entire kingdom against the kingdomof Greece.239

3“Then a powerful king240 will arise, who will rule with greatauthority, and he will do as he pleases. 4But at the peak of his

power, his kingdom will be broken up and divided toward thefour winds of heaven. It will not be given to his descendants,and it will not retain the same power and authority that it hadwhen he ruled, for his kingdom will be uprooted and given toothers.241

239 The three kings were: Cambyses II, Pseudo-Smerdis, andDarius I Hystaspes. The fourth king was Xerxes I.240

Alexander the Great241 The Greek Empire was divided into four kingdoms andruled by four of Alexander’s generals: Cassander, Lysimachus,Ptolemy, and Seleucus.

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5“The king of the south242 will grow strong, but one of hiscommanders243 will grow stronger than him and will rule hisown kingdom with great power.244

6“After a number of years they will form an alliance. Thedaughter of the king of the south will come to the king of thenorth to make an agreement.245 However, her father will short-ly die, and she will not retain her position of power. She will bekilled along with her attendants, her son, and her supporters.7Her brother246 will come with an army, and will enter thestrongholds of the king of the north.247 He will fight againstthem and will be victorious. 8He will also carry their gods and

idols captive into Egypt, along with their precious articles of silver and gold. And he will rule for more years than the king of the north. 9Indeed, when the king of the south invades therealm of the king of the north, he will have to cut things shortand return to his own land.248

10“The sons of the king of the north249 will stir themselvesup, and will assemble a great army, and he250 will advance likea flood and sweep through the land of Syria. Then he will go

out again, all stirred up, to the border-fortress of Raphia. 11Inanger the king of the south251 will go out to fight the king of the north.252 The king of the north will muster a large army,but his army will be given into the hands of his enemy.253

242 Ptolemy I Soter243 Seleucus I Nicator244 The king of the south: Egypt, the Ptolemies. The king of the

north: Syria, the Seleucids.245 Berenice, daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (king of thesouth), married Antiochus II Theos (king of the north).246 Ptolemy III Euergetes247 Seleucus II Callinicus248 Ptolemy III Euergetes returned to deal with trouble inEgypt.249 The two sons of Seleucus II Callinicus: Seleucus IIICeraunus, and Antiochus III the Great.250

Antiochus III the Great251 Ptolemy IV Philopator252 Antiochus III the Great253Battle of Raphia



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12When the king of the south wins the battle, his heart will be-come arrogant. He will cast down tens of thousands, but hewill not remain strong. 13And the king of the north254 will mus-ter another army, greater than the former. A few years later hewill advance with a great army and abundant supplies.14During those years, many will oppose the king of thesouth.255 And violent men of your own people will rebel in ful-fillment of the vision, but they will stumble.

15“Then the king of the north will come, and he will build upsiege ramps, and will capture the fortified city of Sidon.256 Andthe forces of the south will not be able stand, not even his best

troops will have the strength to stand. 16 The king of the northwill do as he pleases, and no one will be able to stand upagainst him. He will stand in the Beautiful Land, which hasbeen ravaged. 17 The king of the north257 will set his face tocome with the authority of his entire kingdom and will form analliance with the king of the south.258 He will give the king of the south his daughter259 in marriage, aiming to underminethe southern kingdom, but his plan will fail and his daughterwill not support him. 18 Then he will turn his face to the coast-

lands, and will conquer many cities. However, a Roman com-mander260 will put an end to his insolence and will defeathim.261 19 Then the king of the north262 will turn his face to-ward the strongholds of his own land. However, he will stum-ble and fall and will not be found again. 20In his place will ariseone263 who will send a tax collector throughout the splendourof his kingdom. However, in a few years he will be broken,though not in anger or in battle.

254 Antiochus III the Great255 Ptolemy V Epiphanes256 Scopas, a general of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, surrendered toAntiochus III the Great.257 Antiochus III the Great258 Ptolemy V Epiphanes259 Cleopatra I260

Lucius Cornelius Scipio261 Battle of Magnesia262 Antiochus III the Great263 Seleucus IV Philopator



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21“In his place a vile man264 will arise, who is not the right-ful heir to the throne. He will come unexpectedly, and will ob-tain the kingdom by flattery. 22In his reign the mighty forces of Egypt will be swept away and broken, and the leader of thecovenant as well.265 23After an alliance is made with him, hewill act deceitfully. He will rise up with the support of a fewpeople. 24He will enter unexpectedly, even the richest places of the region. He will accomplish what his fathers and forefatherscould not.266 He will distribute spoil, booty, and riches amonghis followers. He will devise plans against the strongholds of Egypt, but only for a time. 25Indeed, he will stir up his strengthand courage against the king of the south267 with a great

army. And the king of the south will be stirred up to battlewith a very great and mighty army. However, the king of thesouth will not be able to stand against the plans and devices of the king of the north. 26Indeed, those who eat at the table of the king of the south will cause him much damage, his armywill be swept away, and many will fall down slain. 27Both theseking’s,268 with their hearts bent on evil, will speak lies at thesame table. However, this will not prosper, for the end willcome at the appointed time. 28 Then the king of the north will

return to his own land with great riches, but on the way hisheart will be against the people of the holy covenant. He willtake action against them, and then he will return to his ownland.

29“At the appointed time the king of the north269 will invadeEgypt again, but the outcome will not be the same as it wasbefore. 30For ships from the western coastlands270 will comeagainst him, and he will be grieved and turn back. In a rage he

will come against the people of the holy covenant, and will takeaction against them. And he will show favour to those who for-sake the holy covenant. 31His military forces will come and

264 Antiochus IV Epiphanes—a type of the antichrist.265 Onias III, the high priest, was removed from his office.266 Antiochus IV Epiphanes accomplished what his fathers andforefathers could not: he invaded Egypt.267

Ptolemy VI Philometor268 Antiochus IV Epiphanes and Ptolemy VI Philometor.269 Antiochus IV Epiphanes270 The Romans



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desecrate the temple fortress. They will eliminate the daily sac-rifice, and will set up the abomination that causes desolation.32With flattery he will corrupt those who violate the covenant,but the people who know their God will stand firm and takeaction. 33 Those who are wise among the people will instructmany. But for a time they will fall by sword and flame, by cap-tivity and plundering. 34When they fall, they will receive a littlehelp, and many with insincere intentions will join them.35Some of the wise will fall so that they may be refined, puri-fied, and made white until the time of the end—for it will stillcome at the appointed time.

36“The king271 will do as he pleases. He will exalt and mag-nify himself above every god and will speak blasphemousthings against the God of gods. He will prosper until the timeof wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must hap-pen. 37He will show no regard for the God of his fathers, theMessiah, or any other god, because he will magnify himself above all. 38He will instead honour a god of fortresses, a godwhom his fathers did not know. He will honour him with gold,silver, precious stones, and costly gifts. 39He will attack the

strongest fortresses with the help of this foreign god. He willgive great honour to those who submit to him, giving them au-thority over many people, and distributing land among themas a reward.

40“At the time of the end the king of the south272 will engagehim in battle. Then the king of the north273 will storm out a-gainst him with chariots and horsemen and a large number of ships. He will invade many counties, sweeping through them

like a flood. 41He will invade the Beautiful Land, and manycountries will fall. But Edom, Moab, and the leaders of Ammonwill escape from his hand.274 42He will extend his power overmany countries, and even the land of Egypt will not escape.

271 The antichrist272 Egypt273 The antichrist274

Edom, Moab, and Ammon, is modern-day Jordan. Whenthe Jews in Israel flee from the antichrist they will most likelyend up in Petra, which is in Jordan (Revelation 12:6, 12:13-17).



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43He will gain control over Egypt’s treasures of gold and silver,and all its riches; and Libya and Sudan will submit to him.44But reports from the east and from the north will troublehim. Therefore he will go out with great fury to destroy and an-nihilate many. 45And he will set up his royal tents between theseas,275 at the beautiful holy mountain.276 Yet he will come tohis end, with no one to help him.

“At that time Michael will arise, the archangel whostands guard over your people. It will be a time of trib-

ulation, greater than anything the world has ever seen. At that

time your people will escape, everyone whose name is foundwritten in the book. 2Multitudes who sleep in the dust of theearth will awake—some to everlasting life,277 and some toshame and everlasting disgrace.278 3 Those who are wise willshine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who turnmany to righteousness will shine like the stars forever andever. 4But you, Daniel, close up these words and seal the bookuntil the time of the end. Many will run back and forth, andknowledge will increase.”

5 Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing there,one on this side of the riverbank, and the other on that side of the riverbank. 6One of them said to the man who was abovethe waters of the river, who was clothed in linen, “How longwill it be until these wonders are fulfilled?” 7 Then I heard theman who was above the waters of the river, who was clothed inlinen; he had both hands lifted up to heaven, and he swore anoath by Him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time,

times, and half a time. When the shattering of the power of theholy people is complete, then all these things will be fulfilled.”8I heard what he said, but I did not understand it. So I askedhim, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?” 9Buthe said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are closed up

275 The Mediterranean Sea, and the Dead Sea.276 Zion/Jerusalem277

Revelation 20:4-6; Revelation 2:11. They will take part inthe first resurrection.278 Revelation 20:5, 20:11-15, 21:8. They will take part in thesecond death.

12



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and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many will be refined,purified, and made white, but the wicked will continue to actwickedly. None of the wicked will understand these things, butthe wise will understand them. 11From the time that the dailysacrifice is eliminated and the abomination that causes deso-lation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.279 12Blessed is hewho perseveres and reaches the end of the 1,335 days!280

13But as for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, andthen you will stand in your allotted inheritance at the end of the days.”

279 There will be 30 days above and beyond the three and ahalf years from the time that the daily sacrifice is eliminatedand the abomination that causes desolation is set up (Reve-

lation 13:14-15) until the fulfillment of Daniel 9:24. This willbe a time of judgment and reconciliation between the trueMessiah and the Jewish people, in order to put an end to theirrebellion, to put a stop to their sin, to make atonement fortheir iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness(Zechariah 13:8-9, 12:10-14; John 19:37). After two days(2000 years) He will revive us, on the third day (Millennialreign of Christ) He will restore us, and we will live in Hispresence (Hosea 6:1-3).280

These extra 45 days will be for the judging of the nations(Sheep and goat nations, Matthew 25:31-46). It may also be atime of transition, for organizing and setting things in order,like any new government would do.





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world.” 13Sheba and Dedan (Saudi Arabia, and the nations of the Arabian Peninsula), and the merchants of Tarshish

(Western Europe) with all its leaders, will say to you, “Have youcome to plunder? Have you gathered your armies to loot, tocarry off silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, andto seize much plunder?”’

14“Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog (Leaderof Russia): ‘This is what the Lord GOD says: at that time, whenMy people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice?15You will come from your country in the far north, you and

many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a greatarmy and a mighty force. 16You will advance against My peopleIsrael like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I willbring you against My land, O Gog (Leader of Russia), so thatthe nations may know Me when I show Myself holy through

you in their sight.

17“‘This is what the Lord GOD says: are you not the one Ispoke about long ago by My servants, the prophets of Israel,

who prophesied for many years that I would bring you againstthem? 18At that time, on the day when Gog (Leader of Russia)attacks the land of Israel, says the Lord GOD, My anger willboil over. 19In My jealousy and fiery wrath I have spoken:surely, at that time there will be a great earthquake in the landof Israel. 20 The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the wildanimals in the land, every creature that crawls on the ground,and all the men on the face of the earth will tremble at Mypresence. The mountains will collapse, the cliffs will crumble,

and every wall will fall to the ground. 21

I will call for a swordagainst him on all My mountains, says the Lord GOD, andevery man’s sword will be against his brother. 22I will judgehim with plague and bloodshed. I will pour down torrents of rain, large hailstones, fire, and brimstone on him and on histroops and on the many nations with him. 23 Thus I willdemonstrate My greatness and My holiness, and I will makeMyself known in the sight of many nations. Then they willknow that I am the LORD.’

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy against Gog (Leaderof Russia) and say: ‘This is what the Lord GOD says:39



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look! I am against you, O Gog (Leader of Russia), the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal (Turkey). 2I will turn you around,

and I will drag you along. I will bring you from the far north,and I will lead you against the mountains of Israel. 3I willknock your bow from your left hand, and I will make yourarrows fall from your right hand. 4You will fall on themountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the nationsthat are with you. I will give you as food to every kind of bird of prey, and to the wild animals of the land. 5You will fall in theopen field, for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD. 6I will sendfire on Magog (Russia), and on all your allies who live safely on

the coasts, and they will know that I am the LORD.7“‘I will make My holy name known among My people Israel,

and I will no longer let them pollute My holy name. Then thenations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.8Look! It is coming, and it will happen, says the Lord GOD.

This is the day about which I have spoken.

9“‘Then the inhabitants of Israel’s cities will go out and use

the weapons for kindling. It will take seven years for them toburn all the shields, bows, arrows, clubs, and spears. 10 Theywill have no need to gather wood from the fields or to cut downtrees from the forests, because they will use the weapons asfirewood. They will plunder the plunderers and loot the looters,says the Lord GOD.

11“‘At that time I will give Gog (Leader of Russia) a place of renown, a tomb in Israel, a burial-place in the Valley of the

Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog (Leader of Russia) and his whole armywill be buried there; it will be called, “The Valley of Gog’sMultitude.”283 12It will take the house of Israel seven months tobury them, in order to cleanse the land. 13All the people of theland will bury them. Indeed, on the day that I show My glory itwill bring the house of Israel renown, says the Lord GOD.14After seven months, they will appoint men to search the landfor human remains to bury, in order to cleanse it. 15Whenever

they go through the land and see a human bone, they will set

283 The Valley of Hamon-Gog



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up a marker beside it until the gravediggers bury it in theValley of Gog’s Multitude. 16 There will be a city there named

“Hamonah”284

In this way they will cleanse the land.’ 17“As for you, son of man, this is what the Lord GOD says:

say to all the birds and wild animals of the land, ‘Assemble yourselves and come! Gather yourselves from all around forthe sacrifice I am preparing for you, a great sacrifice on themountains of Israel. There you will eat flesh and drink blood.18You will eat the flesh of mighty men, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth. Indeed, they will be like rams, lambs,

goats, and bulls—all of them fattened animals from Bashan.19You will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until youare drunk, at the sacrifice that I have prepared for you. 20Youwill be filled at My table with horses and riders, with mightymen and soldiers of every kind,’ says the Lord GOD.

21“I will display My glory among the nations, and all thenations will see the judgment that I have executed, and thehand that I have laid upon them. 22From that day forward the

house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God. 23

Thenthe nations will know that the house of Israel went intocaptivity for their sin, because they rebelled against me. As aresult, I hid My face from them and delivered them into thehands of their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword. 24Idealt with them according to their uncleanness and theirtransgressions, and I hid My face from them.

25“Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: now I will

restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on theentire house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.26 They will live safely in their land without fear, and will forgettheir shame and all the unfaithful things that they have doneagainst Me. 27Indeed, after I have brought them back from thenations and have gathered them from the countries of theirenemies, I will display My holiness through them in the sightof many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am the LORDtheir God, since it was I who sent them into captivity among

284 “Hamonah,” means, “Multitude”



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the nations. But I will gather them back to their own land, andwill not leave any behind. 29I will no longer hide My face from

them, for I will pour out My Spirit upon the house of Israel,says the Lord GOD.”



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End Time Scriptures

The most important fulfillment of bible prophecy in our timewas when Israel became a nation in 1948 (Isaiah 66:8). InMatthew 24:32-35, Mark 13:28-31, and Luke 21:29-33, Jesustells a parable about a fig tree. The fig tree represents Israel.When the fig tree (Israel) flourishes again (the rebirth of Israelas a nation) you know that summer is near (the second comingof Christ). The generation that see’s the rebirth of Israel will

not pass away until all these things (the signs mentioned inMatthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21) have been fulfilled.

Here are some Scriptures that pertain to the end times. Inorder to have a good understanding of the end times, one mustknow what the bible says about it from beginning to end. Wedo not know exactly how everything is going to play out until ithappens. However, the Scriptures do make some things clear.It is important that we as Christians have a good understand-

ing of the end times. So study the Scriptures for yourself andsee what conclusion you come to. There are many more endtime Scriptures, but these ones will get you started.

1. Genesis 3:15 –Christ’s victory over satan.

2. Psalm 2:1-6 –The nations conspire against theLord and He laughs at them.

3. Psalm 2:8-9Revelation 19:15

–Jesus ruling the nations with aniron sceptre.

4. Psalm 75:8-10Revelation 14:9-10Revelation 16:19

–The cup of God’s wrath.

5. Psalm 86:9 –All nations will come and worshipthe Lord.

6. Psalm 110 –Jesus King and Priest.



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7. Psalm 145:13Daniel 7:27

–The Lord’s kingdom is an everlast-ing kingdom.

8. Isaiah 2:2-4Micah 4:1-4

–Millennial reign of Christ, they willbeat their swords into plowshares.

9. Isaiah 2:10-21Revelation 6:15-17

–The dread of the Lord.

10. Isaiah 4:2-6 –The millennial reign of Christ.

11. Isaiah 9:6-7 –The government will be on His

shoulders.

12. Isaiah 11:1-9Isaiah 65:25

–The millennium reign of Christ,tame animals.

13. Isaiah 11:15-16Isaiah 19:23-25

–A highway will run from Egypt toAssyria during the millennial reign of Christ.

14. Isaiah 13 –A prophecy against Babylon.

15. Isaiah 14:12-15Ezekiel 28:11-17Revelation 12:7-9Luke 10:18

–Satan cast down to the earth.

16. Isaiah 24:17-23Isaiah 24:1, 3, 6

–God punishing His enemies duringthe tribulation period, the Lord reign-

ing in Jerusalem.

17. Isaiah 32:13-18 –The Holy Spirit poured out on the Jewish people, and other millennialblessings for them.

18. Isaiah 34:1-4 –The battle of Armageddon and thetribulation.



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19. Isaiah 60:19-22Revelation 21:23Revelation 22:5

–God’s glory will be the light of thenew Jerusalem.

20. Isaiah 65:17-19 –New heaven and new earth.

21. Isaiah 65:20-25 –The millennial reign of Christ.

22. Isaiah 66:8-9 –Israel became a nation again in1948, but the restoration of Israelwill be fully fulfilled when Christreturns.

23. Jeremiah 3:16-17Zech. 14:16-17

–Jerusalem will be called the Throneof the Lord.

24. Jeremiah 23:5 Jeremiah 33:15Zechariah 3:8Zech. 6:12-13Isaiah 4:2

Isaiah 11:1,10

–A righteous Branch.

25. Jeremiah 30:7 –Jacob’s Trouble

26. Ezekiel 11:17-20Ezekiel 28:25-26Ezekiel 34:11-16Isaiah 43:5-7

–The Jews gathered to Israel whenChrist returns.

27. Ezekiel 34:22-31Ezekiel 37:24

–One Shepherd over Israel.

28. Ezekiel 36:24-38 –God will put His Spirit in His peo-ple, and other blessings.

29. Ezekiel 37:1-14 –Ezekiel’s vision of the Valley of DryBones.

30. Ezekiel 37:24-28 –Jesus will be King over Israel.



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31. Ezekiel 38-39 –The battle of Gog and Magog.

32. Ezekiel 40-46 –The millennial temple.

33. Ezekiel 45:1-8Ezekiel 47:13-21Ezekiel 48:1-29

–The division of the land of Israelduring the millennial reign of Christ.

34. Ezekiel 47:1-12 Joel 3:17-18Zechariah 14:8

–A river flowing from the temple.

35. Daniel 2:24-45 –Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the bigstatue—world empires.

36. Daniel 7 –Daniel’s dream of four beasts.

37. Daniel 7:7-8,20, 24Revelation 17:12

–The antichrist will subdue 3 of the10 kings.

38. Daniel 8 –Daniel’s vision of a ram and a goat.

39. Daniel 9:20-27 –Daniel’s vision of seventy weeks.

40. Daniel 9:27 –The antichrist will make a peacetreaty with Israel for seven years, butwill break it half way through thetribulation period.

41. Daniel 11:36-45 –The king of the south will engagethe antichrist in battle. Reports fromthe east and north will trouble him.

42. Daniel 12 –The end times.



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43. Daniel 12:11Daniel 11:31Daniel 9:27Matthew 24:15Mark 13:14Rev. 13:14-15

–The abomination that causes deso-lation.

44. Hosea 1:8-11 –Israel restored.

45. Hosea 3:4-5Hosea 6:1-3

–Israel will return to the Lord.

46. Hosea 14:4-8 –God will heal Israel’s backsliding.

47. Joel 2:1-11 Joel 2:20 Joel 1:15

–The battle of Armageddon.

48. Joel 2:28-32Acts 2:17-21

–I will pour out My Spirit upon allflesh.

49. Joel 3:1-2 Joel 3:9-16

–The valley of decision/Armageddon.

50. Amos 5:18-20Zeph. 1:14-15Zechariah 14:6-7

Joel 2:30-32Acts 2:19-21

–The day of the Lord will be dark-ness, not light.

51. Amos 9:11-15 –Israel will be restored.

52. Obadiah 15-17 –Israel will possess its inheritance.

53. Micah 4:1-8 –The millennial reign of Christ.

54. Micah 4:11-13 –The battle of Armageddon.

55. Habakkuk 2:14

Isaiah 11:9

–The earth will be filled with the

knowledge of the glory of the Lord.



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56. Zeph. 1:14-18 –The great day of the Lord.

57. Zephaniah 3:8 –Armageddon.

58. Zeph. 3:9-20 –The Lord will rejoice over Israel withsinging.

59. Haggai 2:6-7Isaiah 24:17-23

–The Lord will shake the heavens andthe earth.

60. Zechariah 2 –Jerusalem will be a city withoutwalls; the Lord will be a wall of fire

around Jerusalem.

61. Zechariah 3:9 –The Lord will remove the sins of Israel in a single day.

62. Zechariah 4Rev. 11:3-12

–Also represents the two witnesses of the tribulation period.

63. Zech. 6:9-15 –Symbolic of Jesus.

64. Zechariah 8:1-8Zech. 8:20-23

–The millennial reign of Christ.

65. Zech. 11:15-17 –The antichrist and his wounds.

66. Zechariah 12:1-9 –The Lord will deliver Israel, the bat-tle of Armageddon.

67. Zech. 12:10-14Revelation 1:7

–Mourning for the One they pierced.

68. Zechariah 13:8-9 –1/3 of the Jewish people left.

69. Zech. 14:1-15 –The day of the Lord.

70. Zech. 14:16-21 –Every year the nations will go andworship the King, the Lord Almighty.

71. Malachi 4:1-3 –The day of the Lord.



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72. Malachi 4:5Rev. 11:3-12

–Elijah is one of the 2 witnesses.

73. Matthew 19:28Luke 22:28-30

–The disciples will sit on 12 thronesand will judge the 12 tribes of Israelduring the millennial reign of Christ.

74. Matthew 24Mark 13Luke 21:5-36

–Jesus tells the disciples about thesigns of His coming and of the end of the age.

75. Matt. 25:31-46 –The sheep and goat nations.

76. Romans 8:22-25 Titus 2:11-141 John 3:2-3

–The rapture.

77. 1 Cor. 15:35-55 –The rapture.

78. 2 Cor. 5:10Romans 14:10

–The judgment seat of Christ.

79. Philip. 3:20-21Colossians 3:4

–The rapture.

80. 1 Thess. 1:10Revelation 3:10

–The rapture, Jesus will rescue usfrom the coming wrath.

81. 1 Thess. 4:13-18 –The rapture.

82. 1 Thess. 5:1-42 Peter 3:10Rev. 16:14-15

–The day of the Lord will come like athief in the night.

83. 1 Thess. 5:9-10 –The rapture, God did not appoint usto suffer wrath.

84. 2 Thess. 2:1-12 –Rapture, second coming, antichrist.

85. 2 Thess. 2:7-8 –After the rapture of the church theantichrist will be revealed.



End Time Scriptures

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86. 1 Timothy 4:1 –In the last days some will abandonthe faith.

87. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 –The wickedness of people in the lastdays.

88. James 5:1-6 –The rich in the last days.

89. 2 Peter 3:7-13 –New heaven and earth.

90. Jude 14-15 –Jesus will come with His saints.

91. Revelation 1:7 –The second coming of Christ.

92. Revelation 6:1-2Daniel 9:27

–First seal, the antichrist comes ontothe scene and makes a peace treatywith Israel.

93. Revelation 6:3-4 –Second seal, peace is taken fromthe earth and men kill one another.

94. Revelation 6:5-6 –Third seal, famine.

95. Revelation 6:7-8 –Forth seal, a fourth of the earth iskilled by sword, famine, plague, andwild animals.

96. Revelation 6:9-11 –Fifth seal, martyred tribulationsaints.

97. Rev. 6:12-17 –Sixth seal, great earthquake, sunturned black, moon turned bloodred, stars fell from the sky, the skyreceded like a scroll, every mountainand island was removed from itsplace.

98. Rev. 6:15-17Isaiah 2:10, 19

–Men hide in caves.

99. Revelation 7:1-8 –The 144,000 Jewish witnesses.



End Time Scriptures

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100. Rev. 7:9-17 –Martyred tribulation saints.

101. Revelation 8:1-6 –The seventh seal ushers in theseven trumpet judgments.

102. Revelation 8:7 –First trumpet judgment, hail andfire mixed with blood tossed to theearth, and a third of the earth, trees,and grass burnt up.

103. Revelation 8:8-9 –Second trumpet judgment, some-thing that looked like a massive

burning mountain was tossed intothe sea and a third of the sea turnedto blood, a third of the sea creaturesdied, and a third of the ships weredestroyed.

104. Rev. 8:10-11 –Third trumpet judgment, a massivestar fell from heaven and a third of the rivers and springs were poisoned.

105. Revelation 8:12 –Fourth trumpet judgment, a third of the sun, moon, and stars struckwith darkness.

106. Revelation 8:13 –Warning of the three woes.

107. Rev. 9:1-12 –Fifth trumpet judgment, first woe,demonic locusts.

108. Rev. 9:13-21 –Sixth trumpet judgment, secondwoe, four angels released at the Eu-phrates River, 200 million man army,a third of mankind killed by plaguesof fire, smoke, and brimstone.

109. Rev. 11:1-2 –The temple.

110. Rev. 11:3-14 –The 2 witnesses, second woe ends.



End Time Scriptures

709

111. Rev. 11:15-19Rev. 15

–The seventh trumpet ushers in theseven bowl judgments, the third woe.

112. Rev. 12:1-6Rev. 12:13-17

–Israel flees to the desert for threeand a half years.

113. Rev. 12:7-12 –Satan thrown down to the earth.

114. Revelation 13:3Rev. 13:12-14Zech. 11:17

–The antichrist’s fatal wound.

115. Rev. 13:4-10 –The antichrist will have authorityover all people, and all people willworship him.

116. Rev. 13:11-18 –The false prophet, image of thebeast, and mark of the beast.

117. Rev. 14:1-5 –The 144,000 Jewish witnesses inheaven.

118. Rev. 14:6-7 –An angel preaches the gospel.

119. Revelation 14:8 –An angel warns of the fall of Babylon the Great.

120. Rev. 14:9-11 –An angel warns not to worship thebeast, his image, or receive his mark.

121. Rev. 14:14-20 –The harvest of the earth; the battleof Armageddon.

122. Rev. 14:20 –The battle of Armageddon, blood upto the horses bridle for 200 miles.

123. Revelation 15 –Martyred tribulation saints, theseven angels with the seven lastplagues.



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124. Revelation 16:2 –First bowl judgment, painful soresbroke out on those who had themark of the beast and worshiped hisimage.

125. Revelation 16:3 –Second bowl judgment, the seaturned to blood and all the seacreatures died.

126. Revelation 16:4 –Third bowl judgment, the rivers andsprings of water turned to blood.

127. Rev. 16:8-9 –Fourth bowl judgment, the sunscorches people.

128. Rev. 16:10-11 –Fifth bowl judgment, the beast’skingdom plunged into darkness.

129. Rev. 16:12Rev. 9:13-21

–Sixth bowl judgment, the Euphratesriver dries up to make way for thekings of the east.

130. Rev. 16:13-16 –Three evil spirits come from themouths of the dragon, beast, andfalse prophet, to gather the nationsfor the battle of Armageddon.

131. Rev. 16:17-21 –Seventh bowl judgment, a greatearthquake, the great city split intothree parts, cities of the nations

collapsed, islands fled, mountainswere not found, 100 pound hailstones.

132. Revelation 17 –Mystery Babylon.

133. Rev. 17:12-13 –The ten kings give their power andauthority to the beast.

134. Revelation 18 –Babylon the Great falls.



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135. Rev. 19:7-9 –The marriage supper of the Lamb.

136. Rev. 19:11-21 –Christ’s second coming, defeat of the antichrist.

137. Rev. 20:1-3 –Satan thrown into the bottomlesspit for a thousand years.

138. Rev. 20:4-6 –The saints reign with Christ for athousand years.

139. Rev. 20:7-10 –Satan released for one last time to

gather the nations for battle. Satanthrown into the lake of fire.

140. Rev. 20:11-15 –The great white throne judgment.

141. Revelation 21:1Isaiah 65:17Isaiah 66:222 Peter 3:13

Psalm 78:69

–A new heaven and new earth, Godestablished the earth forever.

142. Rev. 21:2-27 –The new Jerusalem.

143. Rev. 22:1-2 –The river of the water of life.

144. Rev. 22:3-5 –The throne of God and of the Lambwill be in the new Jerusalem.



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7 Seal Judgments 7 Trumpet Judgments 7 Bowl Judgments

First Seal:

The antichrist comesonto the scene and

makes a 7 year peace

treaty with Israel.

First Trumpet:

Third of the earth, trees,and grass burnt up.

First Bowl:

Painful sores broke outon those who had the

mark of the beast and

worshiped his image.

Second Seal:

Peace is taken from the

earth, and men kill one

another.

Second Trumpet:

Third of the sea turned

to blood, third of the sea

creatures died, third of

the ships destroyed.

Second Bowl:

The sea turned to blood

and all the sea

creatures died.

Third Seal:Famine

Third Trumpet: Third of the rivers and

springs poisoned.

Third Bowl: The rivers and springs

turned to blood.

Fourth Seal:

Fourth of the earth is

killed by sword, famine,

plague, wild animals.

Fourth Trumpet:

Third of the sun, moon,

and stars struck with

darkness.

Fourth Bowl:

The sun scorches

people.

Fifth Seal:

Martyred tribulation

saints.

Fifth Trumpet:

First woe, demonic

locusts.

Fifth Bowl:

The beast’s kingdom

plunged into darkness.Sixth Seal:

Great earthquake, sun

turned black, moon

turned blood red, stars

fell, the sky receded like

a scroll, every mountain

and island was removed

from its place.

Sixth Trumpet:

Second woe, four angels

released at the

Euphrates River, 200

million man army, a

third of mankind killed

by plagues of fire,

smoke, and brimstone.

Sixth Bowl:

Euphrates River dries

up to make way for the

kings of the east.

Seventh Seal: The Seventh Seal

ushers in the Seven

Trumpet Judgments.

Seventh Trumpet: Third woe, the Seventh

Trumpet ushers in the

Seven Bowl Judgments.

Seventh Bowl:Great earthquake, the

great city split into

three parts, cities of the

nations collapsed,

islands fled, mountains

were not found, 100

pound hail stones.



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Questions & Answers

1. The Rapture

What is the Rapture?

The Rapture is when the Lord Jesus Christ comes for HisBride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25-27). Saints, both dead andalive, will be caught up in the air to meet Jesus (1

Thessalonians 4:13-18). We will receive our glorified (immortal)bodies when this happens. (1 Corinthians 15:35-55)!

When will the Rapture occur?

As far as I am concerned, the Rapture of the Church willhappen before the Tribulation Period (see side note on page497). But many others also believe that the Rapture will hap-pen half way through the Tribulation Period, and still others at

the Second Coming of Christ. It does not really matter when you believe that the Rapture will happen, what is important isthat you believe that there is Rapture—always waiting andwatching for your Lord to come, regardless of when He comes.

What about the Old Testament saints?

Well, there are three trains of thought here: 1) The Old Testament saints received their glorified bodies when Jesus

rose from the dead (Matthew 27:52-53). 2) The Old Testamentsaints will receive their glorified bodies at the Rapture alongwith us, the Church. 3) The Old Testament saints will receivetheir glorified bodies at the end of the Tribulation Period(Daniel 12:1-2, 13).

I lean towards the first one. I think that the second one isfor the Church (the Lord is coming for a Church without spotor wrinkle; Ephesians 5:25-27)—meaning that the Rapture isspecifically for the Church. And last of all, I think that thethird one is speaking in general terms, because it jumps from



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the Tribulation Period in the first verse all the way to Eternityin the third verse. So I think that it is speaking generally overa large space of time.

Daniel 12:2 says that multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake—some to everlasting life, and some toshame and everlasting disgrace. Yet Revelation 20:4-5 saysthat the dead Tribulation Saints will come to life and reignwith Christ in the Millennial Reign, but that the wicked deadwill not come to life until the end of the thousand years areover. You could say that these two Scriptures are talking abouttwo different time lines: one at the end of the Millennial Reign,

and the other at the end of the Tribulation Period. Daniel 12:1-3 is speaking in general terms, yet at the same time you couldsay that the second verse is also pointing to the Great White

Throne Judgment and the Millennial Saints (concerning theFirst Resurrection). The Millennial Saints that are dead willawake and receive their glorified bodies and the living ones thesame, just as the dead saints in our day will receive theirglorified bodies along with the living ones at the Rapture. TheMillennial Saints are a part of the First Resurrection; John

11:25-26: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoeverbelieves in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who livesand believes in Me will never die.”

Now if Daniel 12:13 is in reference to the days mentioned inthe two Scriptures above it, then you are on to something, butif you are using Daniel 12:1-2 I do not see it. Either whichway, there will be good arguments for any of these. It is up to

you to look into them and see for yourselves.

2. The Battle of Gog and Magog

What is the Battle of Gog and Magog?

The Battle of Gog and Magog is a battle in which Russia andits allies will march against Israel. God will respond by fightingfor Israel, defeating Russia and its allies (Ezekiel 38-39).



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When will this battle happen?

I think that this battle will happen in a space of timebetween the Rapture of the Church and the start of the Tribulation Period. Others believe that this battle will happenin the first half of the Tribulation, while others believe that it isa part of the Battle of Armageddon. It is of course up to you tolook into and decide.

What about the Gog and Magog in Revelation 20:8?

The Gog and Magog mentioned in Revelation 20:8 is adifferent battle. It has to do with satan’s final rebellion, whensatan is released from the bottomless pit/abyss (Revelation20:1-3, 7-10). After this last rebellion satan will go to eternalpunishment.

3. The Judgment Seat of Christ

What is the Judgment Seat of Christ?

All believers, who have been Raptured up to heaven, willstand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. Our works and themotives behind them will be examined, and the Lord willreward us accordingly (2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10).

When will it happen?

The Judgment Seat of Christ will take place in heaven rightafter the Rapture of the Church.

4. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

What is the Marriage Supper of the Lamb?

The Lamb will marry His Bride (the Church), and theMarriage Supper of the Lamb will be a part of the marriagecelebrations (Revelation 19:7-9).



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The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will probably take placein heaven after the Judgment Seat of Christ. But because of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13, some saythat the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will take place after theLord returns. If this happens, the feast would take place in theextra 75 days spoken of in Daniel 12:11-12. This scenario isplausible. It is something you can look into for yourselves.

5. The Tribulation Period

What is the Tribulation Period?

The Tribulation Period is when God pours out his wrath onthe inhabitants of the earth for seven years.

What is the Great Tribulation Period?

Technically speaking the first half of the Tribulation Period

is called “the Tribulation,” and the second half is called “theGreat Tribulation.” It is also Jacob’s (Israel’s)285 Trouble(Jeremiah 30:7).


The Tribulation Period will start after the Rapture of theChurch, when the antichrist makes a seven year peace treatywith Israel (Revelation 6:1-2; Daniel 9:27).

6. The Ten Kings

Who are the Ten Kings?

The Ten Kings will rule the Revived Roman Empire duringthe first half of the Tribulation Period. They will give the beast(antichrist) their power and authority half way through the

Tribulation Period, then the antichrist will come to power

285 Genesis 35:10



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(Revelation 17:12-13). The antichrist will kill three of the TenKings (Daniel 7:7-8, 20, 24).

7. The antichrist

Who is the antichrist?

I personally think that the antichrist will be a Jew, becausehe will be a part of satan’s false trinity. You know satan, he isa deceiver and a counterfeiter. He will even counterfeit theProphet Elijah (a Jew, as was Christ), the forerunner to the

Messiah (Malachi 4:5; Revelation 13:11-17; see notes on page512, side note 134). Some say that he will be a Gentile(plausible), probably because Antiochus IV Epiphanes (a typeof the antichrist) was a Gentile. Some even think that he will bea muslim, probably (again) due to Antiochus IV Epiphanes,because he ruled in Syria. And as you know, Syria is a muslimcountry. I personally find it hard to believe that the Jews willmake a peace treaty with a muslim, and then trust the treatyenough to start building the temple. However, anything ispossible.

Where does the antichrist come from?

The antichrist will arise somewhere out of the RevivedRoman Empire. As far as specifics go, some say that he mightcome out of Syria (or might have been born in Syria), probably(as I said before) due to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. I do not seehis political career rising out of Syria. Born in Syria, I doubt it,but you never know.

How does the antichrist come to power?

He will come to power because the Ten Kings who rule theRevived Roman Empire will give him their power and authorityto rule (Revelation 17:12-13).

When does the antichrist come to power?

He comes to power half way through the Tribulation Period.



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8. Satan thrown down to the earth

When will satan be thrown down to the earth?

Satan and one-third of the angels (Revelation 12:4) werecast out of heaven when he first rebelled, meaning that theylost their positions (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-17; Luke10:18). To this day, however, satan must still give an accountof himself before God (Job 1:6). He is the accuser of thebrethren, who accuses them before God both day and night(Revelation 12:10). Satan even “demanded” to sift Peter (Luke

22:31-32). But half way through the Tribulation Period satanwill be thrown out of heaven, meaning that he will no longerhave any access to heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). Indeed, he willno longer be able to accuse the brethren.

Since there is a third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4; 1 Kings8:39; God’s dwelling place) you would assume that God threwsatan out of the third heaven, down to the second heaven(where the stars, moon, and sun are; Deuteronomy 4:19;Isaiah 13:10). And from there God would summon satan tocome before Him to give an account (Job 1:6). So when satanis thrown down to the earth during the Tribulation Period youwould assume that satan will be thrown out of the secondheaven, and that he will only have access to the earth and itsatmosphere (the earth and the first heaven; 2 Chronicles 7:13).In fact, when going through the Psalms there is a lot of talkabout these three heavens. Sometimes it is where God dwells,other times it is the place where the stars and moon and sunreside, and other times it is speaking about the sky.

9. The Mark of the Beast

What is the Mark of the Beast?

It will be a mark on the right hand or the forehead that willbe the name of the beast or the number of his name: 666.Without the Mark of the Beast no one will be able to buy or sell(Revelation 13:16-18).



Questions & Answers

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What will happen to those who receive the Mark of theBeast?

In the end they will be tormented with burning sulfur, andthe smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. There willbe no rest day or night for those who worship the beast andhis image or who receive the mark of his name (Revelation14:9-11). They crossed a line that should never be crossed;they accepted and worshiped the false christ, and they willnever be able to turn back from their decision. Their fate issealed, and they will never be able to enter heaven. No, theywill burn for all eternity for their decision—no ifs, ands, orbuts! When Christ returns to rule and reign, those who havethe Mark of the Beast and who have worshiped his image willnot enter His kingdom! They belong satan, that is why theybear his mark. They chose their god, and they will spendeternity with him. On the contrary for us, God’s name will beon our foreheads (Revelation 3:12, 22:3-4) because we belongto Him.

10. The Image of the Beast

The Image of the Beast will be set up on a wing of thetemple half way through the Tribulation Period (Daniel 9:27).

The Image of the Beast will be given life and will be able tospeak and to cause those who refuse to worship it to be killed(Revelation 13:14-15). Jesus warned that the Jews must flee tothe mountains when this abomination that causes desolationappears (Matthew 24:15-16; Mark 13:14). Since worshipingthe Image of the Beast and receiving the Mark of the Beast go

hand in hand, the punishment will be the same (Revelation14:9-11).

11. The False Prophet

Who is the False Prophet?

The False Prophet is a counterfeit of Elijah the Prophet(Malachi 4:5; see notes on page 512, side note 134). He willmake the inhabitants of the earth to worship the Image of the



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Beast and to receive the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 13:11-18). He will be the antchrist’s second in command; his right-hand man.

12. Mystery Babylon

What is Mystery Babylon?

In the first half of the Tribulation Period all religions willcome under one umbrella, which is Mystery Babylon—the falsechurch; the One World Religion; the spiritual whore (Revela-

tion 17:1-6). Mystery Babylon is speaking about the falsechurch/One World Religion. Of course merging all the world’sreligions is about control. Then, when this false church hasserved its purpose, the Ten Kings and the antichrist willdestroy it (Revelation 17:16). The religion that will replace thisOne World Religion (by design) will be a form of satanism— worship of the dragon and the beast (Revelation 13:4). Theantichrist will attempt to change the times and laws (Daniel7:25) concerning the Jews and their worship (Daniel 9:27,11:36), and he will also turn against those who serve Jesus(Revelation 12:17). And he will not worship the God/gods of his father’s (Daniel 11:37-38).

Mystery Babylon stems from Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-12;11:1-9) and the Tower of Babel (Babel was built in the land of Babylon). In rebellion Nimrod started the first organised falsereligion. Satan was trying to get his one world religion andgovernment going even then! Satan is the source behind allfalse religion and rebellion (including Nimrod’s rebellion), and

that is why all these religions will be replaced by their source— (the worship of) satan. There will be two One World Religionsin the Tribulation Period. The first one will be a merging of allthe world’s religions into one (Mystery Babylon). Then, afterthat is destroyed, the people of the world will worship thedragon (satan) and the beast (the antichrist; Revelation 13:4,8). Mystery Babylon, the false church, will be based out of Rome (the Vatican; Revelation 17:9).



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13. Babylon the Great

What is Babylon the Great?

Babylon the Great refers to the antichrist’s capital city, thepolitical and economic hub of his kingdom.

What city is Babylon the Great?

Babylon the Great will be a city in the Revived RomanEmpire. I personally believe that Babylon the Great will be the

City of Rome (Revelation 17:9, 18). Others believe that the Cityof Babylon will be rebuilt, inhabited, and thriving. I wouldimagine that most experts on the End Times would say that itwill be the City of Babylon. Either which way, it will be the citythat is the antichrist’s capital (Revelation 18).

Is Babylon the Great the United States of America?

No! America has nothing whatsoever to do with the RevivedRoman Empire—the antichrist’s kingdom! Therefore, he willnot arise out of America. His kingdom will not be America, andhis capital city will not be Washington D.C.! I do think,however, that Babylon the Great is an excellent parallel toAmerica.

14. The 144,000 Witnesses

Who are these 144,000 witnesses?

They are Jews that God has chosen and called—12,000from each of the 12 tribes of Israel—to preach the Gospel tothe world (Examine the names of these twelve tribes closely,Revelations 7:1-8).



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15. The Two Witnesses

Who are these Two Witnesses?

I believe that these Two Witnesses will be Enoch and Elijah(Revelation 11:3-12). Some people say that they will be Mosesand Elijah, because they were both at the Mount of

Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8), and because the judgmentsthat they have authority to perform are the same as that of Moses and Elijah (Revelation 11:6). As for me: Enoch andElijah were both taken up to heaven alive (Genesis 5:24;

Hebrews 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11). Moses, however, died. Hebrews9:27 says that it is appointed for men to die once, and afterthat to face judgment. So if Moses was one of the twowitnesses, would that not mean that he would die twice?People could say: look at Lazarus, he died. True, he died, buthe was only dead for four days (John 11:17, 39). He was raisedfrom the dead for God’s glory, so that God’s Son would beglorified through it (John 11:4), and so that the Jews mightput their faith in Him. Four days is one thing, but aroundthree and a half thousand years for Moses? That is a bigdifference! Although, when Moses died God took his body andburied it in a secret place (Deuteronomy 34:5-6), and Jude 9says that the archangel Michael got into an argument with thedevil about the body of Moses. So Moses could indeed be oneof the two witnesses. I would assume that most experts wouldsay that it will be Elijah and Moses. Either which way, one of these Two Witnesses will be Elijah (Malachi 4:5). As for thesecond Witness, it will be either Enoch or Moses. It is for youto decide.

16. The Battle of Armageddon

What is the Battle of Armageddon?

Armageddon will be World War Three, a fight for worldsupremacy (Revelation 16:13-16). It will be a series of wars/battles, but the final battle will start in the JezreelValley, and will climax at Jerusalem with Christ’s secondcoming. The word Armageddon means: Mount Megiddo. MountMegiddo is located within the Jazreel Valley, which is located



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in northern Israel, southwest of the Sea of Galilee. Jerusalemwill end up being the center of the battle. Indeed, the Lord willreturn and will fight against all His enemies. (Zechariah 14:2-3; Revelation 14:20).

What is the outcome of the battle?

Jesus wins of course, and He will rule and reign as King! The antichrist and the false prophet will be thrown into theLake of Fire (Revelation 19:20), and satan will be thrown intothe bottomless pit/abyss for a 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-3).And Jesus will kill all the armies that fight against him(Revelation 19:21).

17. The Judgment of the Jews

God will deal with his people (the Jews) in the TribulationPeriod, and He will judge them when He returns (Zechariah13:8-9; Malachi 3:2-5; Ezekiel 20:34-38). Those who believe inHim will enter His kingdom, but the rebellious and unbelieving

Jews will not enter His kingdom. God will judge the Jews first,then the Gentiles, just as the apostle Paul said: first for the

Jew, then for the Gentile (Romans 1:16). This judgment willtake place after Christ’s return in the extra 75 days spoken of in Daniel 12:11-12.

18. The Judgment of the Nations/Gentiles

All the Gentiles will be gathered before the Lord JesusChrist, and He will divide the people into two groups, as ashepherd separates the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). The sheep and the goats represent the saved and theunsaved Gentiles. In the last half of the Tribulation Periodthings will become so bad that only the saved Gentiles will risktheir lives to help Jews (1 Timothy 5:24-25). He will put thesheep (the saved Gentiles) on His right, and the goats (theunsaved Gentiles) on His left. The saved Gentiles will enter theLord’s kingdom, but the unsaved Gentiles will be thrown intoeternal fire (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). This judgment will take



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place after Christ’s return in the extra 75 days spoken of inDaniel 12:11-12).

19. The Millennial Reign of Christ

What is the Millennial Reign of Christ?

The Millennial Reign of Christ is when Jesus returns to theearth and reigns for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4). After

Jesus defeats satan and the antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon He will set up His kingdom. All the saints who

have been resurrected (Old and New Testament saints, andthose who died in the Tribulation Period; Revelation 20:4-6)will rule and reign with Jesus Christ. The Lord will of courserule the world from Jerusalem. At this time on earth there willbe two kinds of people: those of us with glorified (immortal)bodies, and those with their human (mortal) bodies. Those whocome out of the Tribulation Period alive, and are deemedworthy, will enter Christ’s kingdom with their human bodies.

20. Satan’s Final RebellionWhen will this rebellion happen?

This rebellion will happen at the end of the Millennial Reignof Christ when satan is released from the bottomless pit/abyssto tempt the world for one last time (Revelation 20:1-3). Thiswill happen because the people living on earth during thattime will never have been tempted by satan. They must betempted to see who they will serve: Jesus or satan.

What happens in satan’s last rebellion?

Satan will march towards Jerusalem with the rebels whochoose to follow him, and God will send fire down from heavento destroy them. Then satan will be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:7-10).



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21. The Great White Throne Judgment

What is the Great White Throne Judgment?

The Great White Throne Judgment is when all the wickedwill be judged. They will all stand before God and will bethrown into hell. Then death and hell, and all the wicked, willbe thrown into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:11-15). TheGreat White Throne Judgment will take place at the end of theMillennial Reign of Christ, after satan’s final rebellion.

What happens to believers living at the end of theMillennial Reign of Christ?

They will be a part of the First Resurrection, meaning: theywill also receive their glorified bodies (Daniel 12:2-3). “For fleshand blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, neither can theperishable inherit the imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:50).”“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable,and the mortal has been clothed with immortality (1

Corinthians 15:54-55), then what has been written will befulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory (Isaiah 25:8).’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting(Hosea 13:14)?’”

And for all of you who believe (the unbiblical theory) thatthe Millennial Saints will waltz into heaven with their wivesand kids and will continue to make babies for all eternity (sothat their offspring can unfairly get a free pass into heaven;

James 1:12) in order to populate the New Earth/Heaven (eventhough it will already have billions of saints living in it), thenhere is something to refresh your memories: the Lord told theSadducees this: “You are in error, because you do not knowthe Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection menwill not marry, and women will not be given in marriage; onthe contrary, they will be like God’s angels in heaven (Matthew22:29-30).” There will be no husbands and wives (marriage) orbaby making (having babies or sex) in heaven!



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22. The Resurrection of Life

What is the Resurrection of Life?

The Resurrection of Life is for all the saints. Basically, itmeans that we will live with God for all eternity. (John 11:25-26).

Those who are a part of the First Resurrection will receiveglorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35-57: 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; 1 John 5:11-12).

23. The Second Death

What is the Second Death?

The Second death is when hell and death are thrown intothe Lake of Fire. It means that the wicked will be foreverpunished and cut off from God (Revelation 20:6, 14-15, 21:8).

24. The New Heaven and the New Earth

What will happen to the Old Heaven and Earth?

The Old Heaven (second heaven) and Earth (earth and firstheaven; the earth and its atmosphere) will be burned with fire(Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:7-13). The Old Heaven and Earth havebeen defiled by sin and must be purified by fire (Romans 8:19-22). It will be a renovation by fire.

When will this happen?

This will happen after the Great White Throne Judgment,after the wicked are thrown into the Lake of Fire—their eternalhome (Revelation 20:11-15).

Who will the New Heaven and Earth be for?

It will be for all the Old Testament saints, the New Testament saints, the Tribulation saints, and the Millennial

Saints. Indeed, we will all have glorified bodies!



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What will the New Heaven and Earth be like?

The New Heaven and Earth will be perfect in every waywithout stain or tarnish, sin or death, or any wicked or corruptthing. It will be perfect! There will also be no ocean on the NewEarth. The New Jerusalem will come down to earth, and wewill live with God forever and ever (Revelation 21:1-3!).

25. The New Jerusalem

The New Jerusalem will come down to earth, and God will

dwell with His people (Revelation 21:3). The throne of God andthe Lamb will be in it, and there will be no more curse(Revelation 22:3). We will no longer remember our pastsorrows (Isaiah 65:16-17). There will be no death, pain, orsadness (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:4). No sinner or anywicked thing will enter it (Revelation 21:8, 27). And we will bewith our God forever! Praise God (1 Corinthians 2:9)!



My Theory

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My Theory

The antichrist, the false prophet, and the ten kings too, arealive on planet earth, this is true! The Ten Kings, running theshow, pulling the strings, this I know. They are hiding in theshadows, in plain sight, working hard, both day and night.

Their tentacles run deep, can you see them, or are you asleep? They will come out soon, causing misery and ruin. A deceitfulweb they have spun, the CIA they do run. What wickednessthey have sown, the Federal Reserve they do own. Their puppetpoliticians are many, their treasonous traitors plenty.

Their media billows out Cultural Marxism to the masses:immorality, filth, and poisonous gases. Their news pollutes theairwaves with propaganda and never ending lies, while theirsocial media gathers information and spies. Censor Christians,censor conservatives, and anyone else who does not agree.Political correctness, social engineering, bend your knee—comeone, come all, come follow our antichrist system. Censor,

control, brainwash, and enslave. Agenda 2030 (Agenda 21):implement, ram through, subdue, subdue, subdue. Education,indoctrination: the younger the better, and what is yourgender?—a unicorn? Splendid! Keep staring you little drones,hypnotized and unaware, staring into your cell phones. Youare addicted to your video games, while the world goes up inflames. “Me, me, me,” they cry out, “it is all about me!”Entertainment, entertainment, foolish and dumb, theantichrist generation, marching to the beat of the devil’s drum.

We will flood your nations with muslims, illegal’s, and everyother kind, a melting pot of people, so that you will decline.Kiss your culture goodbye, because it will die. Your welfaresystems will explode, and your medical systems will implode.Crime rates through the roof, rapes too, but the lemmingscannot see the proof. Terrorism, terrorism, islamicfundamentalism.



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“Hate speech, hate speech, human rights,” they shout,“your free speech is in our sights.” Now we will throw you into

jail, your free speech will not prevail. It is all a part of the plan; you will see this in your lifespan. Divide and conquer is whatwe will do, just look at Europe: Germany, France, and Swedentoo. No borders, no country. No culture, no identity. No law, noorder. We will make the nations crumble, and their people willstumble. Our New World Order we will get, but do you peoplesee the threat?

The New World Order is doing such a great job at dividingthe United States that things are eventually headed for civil

war. America is being destabilized (Europe too). The kidscoming out of university love their socialism. You havecommunist groups such as “antifa” and “black lives matter”marching around causing problems, while the police are toldto stand down and let lawlessness prevail. Your riots andprotests have paid rioters and protesters, which arrive by thebus load. If you follow the money trail, you will find thatGeorge Soros is the man throwing money behind these groups.George Soros has (and has had) his hands in so many schemes

around the world that it is crazy. He even crashes theeconomies of nations! There is no way that he has done all thathe has done around the world by himself. I call him: “Thehenchman of the Rothschild’s.” He should have long been inprison or taken out, but his masters are too powerful to letthat happen. Who do I think the Ten Kings are? I think thatthey are the heads of the most powerful and wealthiest familiesin the world, one of which is the Rothschild family. I do believethat George Soros works for the Ten Kings. Is Bill Gates, a

supposed computer nerd, really the richest man in the world?Or is it the bankers who run the world’s money system? Morelike they own Bill Gates; they have many frontmen.

I think that the globalists (satan’s minions) will eventuallycrash the economy on a global scale (by design). It will beeasier to implement their New World Order in the midst of aworldwide Great Depression. I believe that when this happensthere will be rioting in the streets of the U.S. and around the

world. I believe that the U.S. military will be called in to getthings under control in the streets of America. Once thishappens, things will seem to simmer down for a little bit.



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However, armed groups will end up rising up and fighting. Things will escalate so much so, that when the Americangovernment is distracted with all the chaos, its enemies willattack. Its enemies will see America at its weakest mostvulnerable state and will attack. I believe the church will beRaptured right as all hell is about to break lose. Once thechurch is Raptured the Holy Spirit will stop holding back thespirit of antichrist, and things will quickly come like a flood.Russia will nuke parts of the United States. Russia will comethrough Alaska, down through Canada, heading south(through my hometown), and also southwest, into America.Others will join in with the Russians, and they will also invade

America’s shores. They will even use chemical and biologicalweapons. Many, many, millions will die.

When my dad was a kid he was in some evangelisticmeetings where it was prophesied that blood would run in ourstreets, and I believe this will happen. America will have tofight for its life, its very existence! The fighting will be so fierce,hopeless, and bleak that America will have no choose but torepent and ask God for help. I believe that when they repent of

their sins God will help them. He will help them repel theirenemies from their land. America, however, will be left in utterruins (Canada will share the same fate). America will benothing in the Tribulation Period, utterly nothing. AfterAmerica is out of the way, Russia (Vladimir Putin) will marchagainst Israel in the Battle of Gog and Magog. But as youknow, they will be defeated by God.

Then the Revived Roman Empire will step in to fill the

power vacuum left by the United States and Russia. Theglobalist think tank, the Club of Rome, split the world into tenregions. The Ten Kings who rule the Revived Roman Empirewill rule the world, which will be split up into ten regions. Itwill be a world empire, not because its land will cover theworld, but because its tentacles of power will reach worldwide.

The Revived Roman Empire will be partly iron and partlyclay. It will be both strong and weak. It will be so weak that it

will come to power slowly through deception. It will come topower by dividing and conquering, which in itself will maketheir kingdom weak—for a house divided cannot stand! Their



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kingdom will indeed be a divided kingdom. Yet at the sametime it will be very powerful, because it will yield a lot of powerthrough its control of the world’s money system. (And of course, when the antichrist comes to power, he will be amighty conquer.) The Rome Empire never did fully die, as in,its religious branch (the Roman Catholic church) continued. Infact it expanded into other parts of the world, covering moreground than the Roman Empire did.

The antichrist will come out of the Revived Roman Empire.He will make a seven year peace treaty with Israel, which willmake him a hero. The Jews will sign the peace treaty and will

begin building the temple. Just maybe, when God defeats Gogand Magog, just maybe He will rain down fire on the dome of the rock (Ezekiel 39:6). I would imagine that many of thePalestinians will be taken out in this battle. Either which way,the Jews will be able to build the temple.

When the Second Seal Judgment is opened, violence andbloodshed will break out. I think that fighting will break out inthe western nations of the world, because the muslim

migration/invasion will have reached its boiling point. Thepeople will see that they have no other choice but to fight,because their governments will not help them; their future willlook bleak. Then of course the New World Order will make itspublic appearance, in order to offer the world peace (in themidst of the chaos they have created). The world will be in aGreat Depression (like I said before) with many people out of work, half starving, homeless, unsafe, and with no future insight. The earth will be full of violence, killing, rioting, looting,

rape, and chaos. Things will get very lawless (by design).

After the Rapture all the world’s religions will merge into analready existing false church, the Roman Catholic church. Thisfalse church will put to death those who serve Jesus. Millionsand millions, and even hundreds of millions of Christians willbe put to death. We all know the bloody history of the Catholicchurch (William Tyndale comes to mind)! The Marxist pope, aswe speak, is meeting together with religious leaders from

various religions—just ask the Copeland’s, Arnott’s, and James Robison, who gave the pope a giddy high five.



My Theory

By the time it hits the midpoint of the Tribulation Period,the Jews will have already finished building the temple. The

Ten Kings will hand over their kingdom to the antichrist. Theantichrist and the Ten Kings will destroy the false church. Andthe antichrist will defile the temple, claiming to be the messiah(god in the flesh). The antichrist will be assassinated, probablyby a zealous Jew, because he defiled the temple. Satan, whowas thrown down to the earth, will raise the antichrist back tolife. Then the False Prophet will call down fire from heaven likethe Prophet Elijah did, in order to back up the claims that theantichrist is the (risen) messiah. The antichrist will be aneconomic genius who will fix the world’s economic problems,

but the people of the world will have to receive his mark andworship his image in order to participate in his economicsystem.

The Kings of the East will kill One Third of the world’spopulation on their way to fight the antichrist. China isworking on their “One Belt, One Road Initiative”—their NewSilk Road. World domination will be on their minds. I wouldimagine that India, with its huge population, will probably

make up a sizable number of those deaths.

As the armies of the world meet for the Battle of Armageddon, they will see Jesus coming in glory. They willturn and fight against him, but of course they will lose. Satanwill even use earthly armies and weapons to try and defeat

Jesus. In his desperation he will use any means possible, bothspiritual and physical, to try and defeat Jesus. Satan has nochance whatsoever! Why do you think God laughs at satan

and his schemes? In God’s eyes satan’s schemes are butchild’s play, totally laughable to Him—one big joke!

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A Layman's Translation of the New Testament

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