Matthew 20 Cross References - Goodspeed

¹ For the Kingdom of Heaven is like an employer who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² He agreed with the laborers to pay them a dollar a day, and sent them to his vineyard. ³ He went out about nine o'clock and saw others standing in the bazaar with nothing to do. ⁴ And he said to them, 'You go to my vineyard, too, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. ⁵ He went out again about twelve and about three, and did the same. ⁶ About five he went out and found others standing about and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing about here all day doing nothing?' ⁷ They said to him, 'Because nobody has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go to my vineyard, too.' ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' ⁹ When those who were hired about five o'clock came they received a dollar apiece. ¹⁰ And when those who were hired first came they expected to get more, but they too got a dollar apiece. ¹¹ And when they received it they grumbled at their employer, ¹² and said, 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have put them on the same footing with us who have done the heavy work of the day and have stood the midday heat.' ¹³ But he answered one of them, 'My friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me on a dollar? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I wish to give the last man hired as much as I give you. ¹⁵ Have I no right to do what I please with what is mine? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' ¹⁶ So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last." ¹⁷ When Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve off by themselves, and said to them as they were on the way, ¹⁸ "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death, ¹⁹ and hand him over to the heathen to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised to life." ²⁰ Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came up to him with her sons, bowing low, to ask a favor of him. ²¹ He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Give orders that these two sons of mine sit one at your right and one at your left, when you are king!" ²² But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking for! Can you drink what I am going to drink?" They answered, "Yes, we can." ²³ He said to them, "Then what I drink you shall drink, but as for sitting at my right or my left, that is not mine to give, but belongs to those for whom it is destined by my Father." ²⁴ When the other ten heard of this, they were very indignant at the two brothers. ²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the heathen lord it over them, and their great men tyrannize over them. ²⁶ It is not to be so among you, but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be your slave, ²⁸ just as the Son of Man has come not to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to ransom many others." ²⁹ As they were going out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. ³⁰ And two blind men sitting by the roadside, hearing that it was Jesus who was passing, called out, "You Son of David! Take pity on us, sir!" ³¹ The crowd told them to be still, but they called all the louder, "You Son of David! Take pity on us, sir!" ³² And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" ³³ They said to him, "Sir, have our eyes opened!" ³⁴ And Jesus took pity on them and touched their eyes, and they immediately regained their sight, and followed him.

¹¹ and they went into the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they threw themselves down and did homage to him. They opened their treasure boxes and presented the child with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

² "Repent!" he said, "for the Kingdom of Heaven is coming!"

²¹ And he went on a little farther and saw two other men who were brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother, John, in the boat with Zebedee, their father, putting their nets in order, and he called them.

² So when you are going to give to charity, do not blow a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues and the streets, to make people praise them. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get!

⁶ But when you pray, go into your own room, and shut the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen, and your Father who sees what is secret will reward you.

¹⁶ "When you fast, do not put on a gloomy look, like the hypocrites, for they neglect their personal appearance to let people see that they are fasting. I tell you, that is all the reward they will get.

²³ but if your eye is unsound, your whole body will be dark. If, therefore, your very light is darkness, how deep the darkness will be!

⁷ Ask, and what you ask will be given you. Search, and you will find what you search for. Knock, and the door will open to you. ⁸ For it is always the one who asks who receives, and the one who searches who finds, and the one who knocks to whom the door opens.

¹³ "Go in at the narrow gate. For the road that leads to destruction is broad and spacious, and there are many who go in by it.

² And a leper came up to him and fell on his knees before him, saying, "If you only choose, sir, you can cure me!"

¹¹ And I tell you, many will come from the east and from the west and take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven, ¹² while the heirs to the kingdom will be driven into the darkness outside, there to weep and grind their teeth!"

¹⁵ And he touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and waited on him.

²⁰ And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and wild birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no where to lay his head!"

⁹ Afterward, as Jesus was passing along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tollhouse, and he said to him, "Follow me!" And he got up and followed him.

²⁷ As Jesus was passing along from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Take pity on us, you Son of David!" ²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came up to him, and he said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?" They said to him, "Yes, sir." ²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, "You shall have what your faith expects."

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, "You shall have what your faith expects." ³⁰ And their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly not to let anyone hear of it. ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about him all over that part of the country.

³⁶ But the sight of the crowds of people filled him with pity for them, because they were bewildered and dejected, like sheep that have no shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant enough, but the reapers are few. ³⁸ So pray to the owner of the harvest to send reapers to gather it."

¹⁶ But to what can I compare this present age? It is like children sitting about in the bazaars and calling out to their playmates, ¹⁷ " 'We have played the flute for you, and you would not dance! We have wailed and you would not beat your breasts!'

²⁵ At that same time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding all this from the learned and intelligent and revealing it to children.

²⁹ Let my yoke be put upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble-minded, and your hearts will find rest,

²² At that time some people brought to him a man blind and dumb, who was possessed by a demon, and he cured him, so that the dumb man could speak and see. ²³ And all the crowds of people were astounded, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"

⁴⁰ For just as Jonah was in the maw of the whale for three days and nights, the Son of Man will be three days and nights in the heart of the earth.

¹¹ He answered, "You are permitted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but they are not.

²⁴ Another figure which he used in speaking to them was this: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

³¹ Another figure which he used in speaking to them was this: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field.

³³ Another figure which he used with them was this: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took and buried in a bushel of flour until it had all risen."

³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned, this is what will happen at the close of the age;

⁴⁴ "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a hoard of money, buried in a field, which a man found, and buried again. And he was overjoyed, and went and sold everything he had and bought the field. ⁴⁵ "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dealer in search of fine pearls.

⁴⁷ "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net that was let down into the sea, and inclosed fish of all kinds.

¹⁴ So when he got out of the boat he found a great crowd gathered, and his heart was touched at the sight of them, and he cured those of them that were sick.

³³ And the men in the boat fell down before him and said, "You are certainly God's Son!"

²² And a Canaanite woman of that district came out and screamed, "Son of David, take pity on me, sir! My daughter is dreadfully possessed by a demon!" ²³ But he would not answer her a word. And his disciples came up and urged him, saying, "Send her away, for she keeps screaming after us."

²⁵ And she came and fell down before him, and said, "Help me, sir!"

³² Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said to them, "I pity these people for they have been staying with me three days now and they have nothing left to eat, and I do not mean to send them away hungry, for they may give out on the way."

¹³ When Jesus reached the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

²¹ It was then that Jesus Christ for the first time explained to his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem and endure great suffering there at the hands of the elders, high priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised to life on the third day.

²² As they were going about in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men, ²³ and they will kill him, but on the third day he will be raised to life again." And they were greatly distressed.

¹ Just at that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, "Who is really greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?"

³ and he said, "I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven at all. ⁴ Anyone, therefore, who is as unassuming as this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven,

⁴ Anyone, therefore, who is as unassuming as this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven,

²⁸ But when the slave went out he met a fellow-slave of his who owed him twenty dollars, and he caught him by the throat and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'

¹³ Then some children were brought up to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray, but his disciples reproved the people for it.

²⁸ Jesus said to them, "In the new world, I tell you, when the Son of Man takes his seat on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit upon twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel!

³⁰ But many who are first now will be last then, and many who are now last will be first.

² He agreed with the laborers to pay them a dollar a day, and sent them to his vineyard.

⁶ About five he went out and found others standing about and he said to them, 'Why have you been standing about here all day doing nothing?' ⁷ They said to him, 'Because nobody has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go to my vineyard, too.'

¹³ But he answered one of them, 'My friend, I am doing you no injustice. Did you not agree with me on a dollar?

²¹ He said to her, "What do you want?" She said to him, "Give orders that these two sons of mine sit one at your right and one at your left, when you are king!"

²⁵ But Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the heathen lord it over them, and their great men tyrannize over them. ²⁶ It is not to be so among you, but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be your slave, ²⁸ just as the Son of Man has come not to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to ransom many others."

³² And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want me to do for you?"

⁹ And the crowds that went in front of him and that followed him shouted, "God bless the Son of David! Blessed be he who comes in the Lord's name. God bless him from on high!"

¹⁴ And blind and lame people came up to him in the Temple, and he cured them.

²³ When he had entered the Temple, and was teaching, the high priests and the elders of the people came up to him, and said, "What authority have you for doing as you do, and who gave you this authority?" ²⁴ Jesus answered, "Let me ask you one question, and if you answer it, I will tell you what authority I have for doing as I do. ²⁵ Where did John's baptism come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'It was from heaven,' he will say to us, 'Then why did you not believe him?' ²⁶ But if we say, 'From men,' we have the people to fear, for they all consider John a prophet." ²⁷ And they answered Jesus, "We do not know." He said to them, "Nor will I tell you what authority I have for doing as I do. ²⁸ But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'My son, go and work in the vineyard today.'

²⁸ But what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'My son, go and work in the vineyard today.' ²⁹ And he answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go. ³⁰ Then the man went to the second son, and told him the same thing. And he answered, 'I will not!' But afterward he changed his mind and went. ³¹ Which of the two did what his father wanted?" They said, "The second one." Jesus said to them, "I tell you, the tax-collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.

³¹ Which of the two did what his father wanted?" They said, "The second one." Jesus said to them, "I tell you, the tax-collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you.

³³ "Listen to another figure. There was a land owner who planted a vineyard and fenced it in, and hewed out a wine-vat in it, and built a watch-tower, and leased it to tenants, and left the neighborhood. ³⁴ When the time for the vintage approached he sent his slaves to the tenants to receive his share. ³⁵ But the tenants took his slaves and beat one and killed another and stoned a third. ³⁶ Again he sent other slaves and more of them than he had sent at first, and they treated them in the same way. ³⁷ Finally he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' ³⁸ But when the tenants saw his son, they said to one another. 'This is his heir! Come on, let us kill him, and get his inheritance!' ³⁹ So they took him and drove him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ When the owner of the vineyard comes back, therefore, what will he do to these tenants?" ⁴¹ They said to him, "He will put the wretches to a miserable death, and let the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the vintage when it is due." ⁴² Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, " 'That stone which the builders rejected Has become the cornerstone; This came from the Lord, And seems marvelous to us'? ⁴³ "That, I tell you, is why the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a people that will produce its proper fruit.

² "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a king, who gave a wedding banquet for his son.

⁹ So go out where the roads leave the city and invite everyone you find to the banquet.' ¹⁰ So his slaves went out on the roads, and got together all the people they could find, good or bad, and the hall was filled with guests.

¹² And he said to him, 'My friend, how did you happen to come here without wedding clothes?' But he had nothing to say.

¹⁴ For many are invited but few chosen."

¹⁹ "Why do you put me to such a test, you hypocrites? Show me the poll-tax coin!" And they brought him a denarius.

⁴² "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "David's."

⁸ But you must not let people call you 'Rabbi,' for you have only one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And you must not call anyone on earth your father, for you have only one father, your heavenly Father. ¹⁰ And you must not let men call you master, for you have only one master, the Christ. ¹¹ But he who is greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

³⁷ "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! murdering the prophets, and stoning those who are sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children around me, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you refused!

¹ "Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

¹⁴ "For it is just like a man who was going on a journey, and called in his slaves, and put his property in their hands.

¹⁹ Long afterward, their master came back and settled accounts with them.

³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his splendor, with all his angels with him, he will take his seat on his glorious throne,

³⁴ Then the king will say to those at his right, 'Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take possession of the kingdom which has been destined for you from the creation of the world.

⁴⁴ Then they in their turn will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or in need of clothes, or sick, or in prison, and did not wait upon you?'

² "You know that in two days the Passover Festival will come, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

²⁸ "You must all drink from it, for this is my blood which ratifies the agreement, and is to be poured out for many people, for the forgiveness of their sins.

³⁵ Peter said to him, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you!" All the disciples said so too.

³⁹ And he went on a little way, and threw himself on his face, and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass by me. Yet not as I please but as you do!"

⁴² He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it cannot pass by me without my drinking it, your will be done!"

⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, "My friend, what are you here for?" Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and secured him.

⁵⁶ But this has all taken place in fulfilment of the writings of the prophets." Then all the disciples left him and made their escape.

⁶⁶ What is your decision?" They answered, "He deserves death." ⁶⁷ Then they spat in his face and struck him, and others slapped him, ⁶⁸ saying, "Show us you are a prophet, you Christ! Who was it that struck you?"

¹ When it was morning, all the high priests and elders of the people held a consultation about Jesus, with a view to putting him to death. ² And they bound him and led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. ³ Then Judas who had betrayed him, when he saw that he had been condemned, in his remorse brought back the thirty silver pieces to the high priests and elders, ⁴ and said, "I did wrong when I handed an innocent man over to death!" They said, "What is that to us? You see to it yourself." ⁵ And he threw down the silver and left the Temple and went off and hung himself. ⁶ The high priests gathered up the money, and they said, "It is not legal to put this into the Temple treasury, for it is blood money." ⁷ So after consultation they bought with it the Potter's Field as a burial ground for strangers. ⁸ For this reason that piece of ground has ever since been called the Field of Blood. ⁹ So the words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver pieces, the price of the one whose price had been fixed, on whom some of the Israelites had set a price, ¹⁰ and gave them for the Potter's Field as the Lord directed me."

²⁷ Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the barracks, and got the whole battalion together about him. ²⁸ And they stripped him and put a red cloak on him, ²⁹ and made a wreath of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a stick in his hand, and knelt down before him in mockery, saying, "Long live the king of the Jews!" ³⁰ And they spat at him, and took the stick and struck him on the head. ³¹ And when they had finished making sport of him, they took off the cloak, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to be crucified.

⁴⁵ Now from noon there was darkness over the whole country until three o'clock.

⁵⁵ There were several women there watching from a distance who had followed Jesus from Galilee to wait upon him, ⁵⁶ among them Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

¹⁷ There they saw him and bowed down before him, though some were in doubt about it.

²² Herodias' own daughter came in and danced for them. And Herod and his guests were delighted, and the king said to the girl,

²² greed, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, abusiveness, arrogance, folly—

³³ He took him off by himself away from the crowd, and put his fingers in the man's ears, and touched his tongue with saliva.

³³ And they reached Capernaum. When he reached home, he asked them, "What was it that you were discussing on the way?" ³⁴ But they made no answer, for on the way they had been discussing with one another which of them was the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down and called the Twelve in, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all."

³⁵ And he sat down and called the Twelve in, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all."

³¹ But many who are first now will be last then, and the last will be first." ³² As they went on their way up to Jerusalem, Jesus walked ahead of them, and they were in dismay, and those who still followed were afraid. And he took the Twelve aside again and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ "See!" he said, "we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the heathen ³⁴ and they will ridicule him and spit on him and flog him and kill him; and three days after he will rise again." ³⁵ And Zebedee's two sons, James and John, came up to him and said, "Master, we want you to do for us whatever we ask." ³⁶ He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?"

³⁶ He said to them, "What do you want me to do for you?" ³⁷ They said to him, "Let us sit one at your right hand and one at your left, in your triumph."

³⁷ They said to him, "Let us sit one at your right hand and one at your left, in your triumph." ³⁸ Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Can you drink what I am drinking, or undergo the baptism that I am undergoing?"

³⁸ Jesus said to them, "You do not know what you are asking for. Can you drink what I am drinking, or undergo the baptism that I am undergoing?" ³⁹ They said to him, "Yes, we can." Jesus said to them, "Then you shall drink what I am drinking, and you shall undergo the baptism that I am undergoing;

³⁹ They said to him, "Yes, we can." Jesus said to them, "Then you shall drink what I am drinking, and you shall undergo the baptism that I am undergoing; ⁴⁰ but as for sitting at my right or at my left, that is not mine to give, but belongs to those for whom it is destined."

⁴⁰ but as for sitting at my right or at my left, that is not mine to give, but belongs to those for whom it is destined." ⁴¹ When the other ten heard of this they were at first very indignant at James and John.

⁴¹ When the other ten heard of this they were at first very indignant at James and John. ⁴² And Jesus called them to him, and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule the heathen lord it over them, and their great men tyrannize over them;

⁴² And Jesus called them to him, and said to them, "You know that those who are supposed to rule the heathen lord it over them, and their great men tyrannize over them; ⁴³ but it is not to be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

⁴³ but it is not to be so among you. Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to hold the first place among you must be everybody's slave. ⁴⁵ For the Son of Man himself has not come to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to free many others."

⁴⁵ For the Son of Man himself has not come to be waited on, but to wait on other people, and to give his life to free many others." ⁴⁶ And they came to Jericho. As he was leaving the town with his disciples and a great crowd, Timaeus' son Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting at the roadside.

⁴⁶ And they came to Jericho. As he was leaving the town with his disciples and a great crowd, Timaeus' son Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting at the roadside. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth he began to cry out, "Jesus, you son of David, take pity on me!" ⁴⁸ Many of the people rebuked him and told him to be still. But he cried out all the louder, "You son of David, take pity on me!" ⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." And they called the blind man and said to him, "Courage now! Get up, he is calling you!" ⁵⁰ And he threw off his coat and sprang to his feet and went up to Jesus. ⁵¹ Jesus spoke to him and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "Master, let me regain my sight!"

⁵¹ Jesus spoke to him and said, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man said to him, "Master, let me regain my sight!" ⁵² Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your faith has cured you." And he immediately regained his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

³⁴ just as a man when he leaves home to go on a journey, and puts his slaves in charge, each with his duties, gives orders to the watchman to keep watch.

²⁴ And he said to them, "This is my blood which ratifies the agreement, and is to be poured out for many people.

³⁶ and he said, "Abba!" that is, Father, "anything is possible for you! Take this cup away from me! Yet not what I please but what you do!"

⁶⁴ Did you hear his blasphemy? What is your decision?" And they all condemned him as deserving to be put to death. ⁶⁵ And some started to spit at him and to blindfold him and strike him, and say to him, "Now show that you are a prophet!" And the attendants slapped him as they took charge of him.

⁶⁵ And some started to spit at him and to blindfold him and strike him, and say to him, "Now show that you are a prophet!" And the attendants slapped him as they took charge of him.

¹ As soon as it was daylight, the high priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes, and they and the whole council bound Jesus and took him away and handed him over to Pilate.

¹⁶ Then the soldiers took him inside the courtyard, that is, of the governor's residence, and they called the whole battalion together. ¹⁷ And they dressed him up in a purple cloak, and made a wreath of thorns and crowned him with it, ¹⁸ and they began to acclaim him, "Long live the king of the Jews!" ¹⁹ And they struck him on the head with a stick and spat at him, and they knelt down and did homage to him. ²⁰ When they had finished making sport of him, they took off the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they took him out of the city to crucify him.

²⁵ It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.

²⁹ And the passers-by jeered at him, shaking their heads and saying, "Aha! you who would tear down the sanctuary and build one in three days! ³⁰ Come down from the cross and save yourself!" ³¹ The high priests too made sport of him to one another with the scribes and said, "He saved others, but he cannot save himself!

³³ At noon darkness spread over the whole country, and lasted until three in the afternoon. ³⁴ And at three o'clock Jesus called out loudly, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

⁴⁰ There were some women also watching from a distance, among them Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome,

¹⁹ So the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was caught up into heaven and took his seat at God's right hand.

¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will drink no wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with the holy Spirit from his very birth,

¹⁸ "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, For he has consecrated me to preach the good news to the poor, He has sent me to announce to the prisoners their release and to the blind the recovery of their sight, To set the down-trodden at liberty,

³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled about it to his disciples, and said, "Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and irreligious people?"

¹³ And when the Master saw her, he pitied her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

²¹ Just then he cured many of diseases and ailments and evil spirits, and he gave sight to many who were blind.

⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her sins, many as they are, are forgiven, for she has loved me so much. But the man with little to be forgiven loves me but little."

³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them with their means.

⁷ Stay at the same house, eating and drinking what they offer you, for the workman deserves his pay. Do not change from one house to another.

³⁵ The next day he took out a dollar and gave it to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend I will refund to you on my way back.'

⁸ I tell you, even if he will not get up and give him some because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rouse himself and give him all he needs. ⁹ So I tell you, ask, and what you ask will be given you. Search, and you will find what you search for. Knock, and the door will open to you. ¹⁰ For it is always the one who asks who receives, and the one who searches who finds, and the one who knocks to whom the door opens.

⁴² And the Master said, "Who then will be the faithful, thoughtful manager, whom his master will put in charge of his household, to give the members of it their supplies at the proper time?

⁵⁰ I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am till it is over!

⁵⁵ And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, 'It is going to be very hot,' and it is.

²⁸ There you will weep and gnash your teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, while you are put outside. ²⁹ People will come from the east and west and the north and south, and take their places in the Kingdom of God. ³⁰ There are those now last who will then be first, and there are those now first who will be last."

⁷ He noticed that the guests picked out the best places, and he gave them this illustration: ⁸ "When someone invites you to a wedding supper, do not take the best place, for someone more distinguished than you are may have been invited, ⁹ and your host will come and say to you 'Make room for this man,' and then you will proceed in confusion to take the poorest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited anywhere, go and take the poorest place, so that when your host comes in, he will say to you, 'My friend, come to a better place.' So you will be shown consideration before all the other guests. ¹¹ For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted."

²¹ So the slave went back, and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house was angry and said to his slave, 'Hurry out into the streets and squares of the city, and bring the poor, the maimed, the blind, and the lame in here!' ²² And the slave said, 'What you ordered, sir, has been done, and there is still room.' ²³ And the master said to the slave, 'Go out on the roads, and among the hedges, and make them come so that my house may be full. ²⁴ For I tell you that none of those men who were invited shall have any of my dinner!' "

² And the Pharisees and scribes grumbled, and said, "This man welcomes irreligious people, and even eats with them!"

⁷ I tell you, in just that way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinful person who repents, than over ninety-nine upright people who do not need any repentance.

²⁸ But he was angry and would not go into the house. And his father came out and urged him. ²⁹ And he said to his father, 'Here I have served you all these years, and have never disobeyed an order of yours, and you have never given me a kid, so that I could entertain my friends. ³⁰ But when your son here came, who has eaten up your property with women of the street, for him you killed the calf you have been fattening!' ³¹ But he said to him, 'My child, you have been with me all the time, and everything I have is yours.

¹ And he said to his disciples, "There was a rich man who had a manager, and it was reported to him that this man was squandering his property. ² So he called him in and said to him, 'What is this that I hear about you? Make an accounting for your conduct of my affairs, for you cannot be manager any longer!'

²⁵ And Abraham said, 'My child, remember that you received your blessings in your lifetime, and Lazarus had his misfortunes in his; and now he is being comforted here, while you are in anguish.

¹⁷ And Jesus said, "Were not all ten cured? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?"

²⁰ He was once asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, and he answered, "The Kingdom of God is not coming visibly, ²¹ and people will not say, 'Look! here it is!' or 'There it is!' for the Kingdom of God is within you."

¹ He gave them an illustration to show that they must always pray and not give up, ² and he said, "There was once in a city a judge who had no fear of God and no respect for men. ³ There was a widow in the city and she came to him and said, 'Protect me from my opponent.' ⁴ And he would not for a time, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I have no fear of God nor respect for men, ⁵ yet because this widow bothers me, I will protect her, so that she may not finally wear me out with her coming.' " ⁶ And the Master said, "Listen to what this dishonest judge said! ⁷ Then will not God provide protection for his chosen people, who cry out to him day and night? ⁸ I tell you, he will make haste to provide it! But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

¹¹ The Pharisee stood up and uttered this prayer to himself: 'O God, I thank you that I am not like other men, greedy, dishonest, or adulterous, like that tax-collector. ¹² I fast two days in the week; I pay tithes on everything I get.'

¹⁴ I tell you, it was he who went back to his house with God's approval, and not the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted."

³¹ And he took the Twelve aside and said to them, "See! we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything written in the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. ³² For he will be handed over to the heathen, and ridiculed and insulted and spat upon, ³³ and they will flog him and kill him, and on the third day he will rise again." ³⁴ And they did not understand any of this; the words were obscure to them, and they did not know what he meant. ³⁵ As he approached Jericho, a blind man happened to be sitting by the roadside begging. ³⁶ And hearing a crowd going by he asked what it meant. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was coming by. ³⁸ And he shouted, "Jesus, you Son of David, take pity on me!" ³⁹ And those who were in front reproved him and told him to be quiet, but he cried out all the louder, "You Son of David, take pity on me!"

³⁹ And those who were in front reproved him and told him to be quiet, but he cried out all the louder, "You Son of David, take pity on me!" ⁴⁰ And Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came up, Jesus asked him, ⁴¹ "What do you want me to do for you?" He answered, "Master, let me regain my sight!"

⁴¹ "What do you want me to do for you?" He answered, "Master, let me regain my sight!" ⁴² And Jesus said to him, "Regain your sight! Your faith has cured you!" ⁴³ And he regained his sight immediately, and followed Jesus, giving thanks to God. And all the people saw it and praised God.

⁴³ And he regained his sight immediately, and followed Jesus, giving thanks to God. And all the people saw it and praised God.

⁷ And when they saw this, everyone complained, and said, "He has gone to stay with an irreligious man!"

⁷ And when they saw this, everyone complained, and said, "He has gone to stay with an irreligious man!" ⁸ But Zaccheus stopped and said to the Master, "See, Master! I will give half my property to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay him four times as much." ⁹ Jesus said to him, "Salvation has come to this house today, for he too is a descendant of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man has come to search for what was lost and to save it." ¹¹ As they were listening to this, Jesus went on to give them an illustration, because he was near Jerusalem and they supposed that the Kingdom of God was immediately going to appear.

²³ And they began to discuss with one another which of them it was who was going to do this. ²⁴ A dispute also arose among them, as to which one of them ought to be considered the greatest.

²⁴ A dispute also arose among them, as to which one of them ought to be considered the greatest. ²⁵ But he said to them, "The kings of the heathen lord it over them, and their authorities are given the title of Benefactor.

²⁵ But he said to them, "The kings of the heathen lord it over them, and their authorities are given the title of Benefactor. ²⁶ But you are not to do so, but whoever is greatest among you must be like the youngest, and the leader like a servant.

²⁶ But you are not to do so, but whoever is greatest among you must be like the youngest, and the leader like a servant. ²⁷ For which is greater, the man at the table, or the servant who waits on him? Is not the man at the table? Yet I am like a servant among you.

²⁷ For which is greater, the man at the table, or the servant who waits on him? Is not the man at the table? Yet I am like a servant among you.

⁴² and said, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. But not my will but yours be done!"

⁵¹ But Jesus answered, "Let me do this much!" And he touched his ear and healed him.

⁷¹ Then they said, "What do we want of testimony now? We have heard it ourselves from his own mouth!"

¹ Then they arose in a body and took him to Pilate, ² and they made this charge against him: "Here is a man whom we have found misleading our nation, and forbidding the payment of taxes to the emperor, and claiming to be an anointed king himself." ³ And Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" He answered, "Yes." ⁴ And Pilate said to the high priests and the crowd, "I cannot find anything criminal about this man." ⁵ But they persisted and said, "He is stirring up the people all over Judea by his teaching. He began in Galilee and he has come here."

¹¹ And Herod and his guards made light of him and ridiculed him, and they put a gorgeous robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.

⁴⁰ But the other reproved him and said, "Have you no fear even of God when you are suffering the same penalty? ⁴¹ And we are suffering it justly, for we are only getting our deserts, but this man has done nothing wrong." ⁴² And he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!" ⁴³ And he said to him, "I tell you, you will be in Paradise with me today!" ⁴⁴ It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole country, and lasted until three in the afternoon, ⁴⁵ as the sun was in eclipse. And the curtain before the sanctuary was torn in two. ⁴⁶ Then Jesus gave a loud cry, and said, "Father, I intrust my spirit to your hands!" With these words he expired.

⁴⁶ and said to them, "The Scriptures said that Christ should suffer as he has done, and rise from the dead on the third day,

³⁹ He said to them, "Come and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent the rest of the day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

⁶ and Jacob's spring was there. So Jesus, tired with his journey, sat down just as he was by the spring. It was about noon.

¹ As he passed along, he saw a man who had been blind from his birth. ² His disciples asked him, "Master, for whose sin was this man born blind? For his own, or for that of his parents?" ³ Jesus answered, "It was neither for his own sin nor for that of his parents, but to let what God can do be illustrated in his case. ⁴ We must carry on the work of him who has sent me while the daylight lasts. Night is coming, when no one can do any work.

⁴ We must carry on the work of him who has sent me while the daylight lasts. Night is coming, when no one can do any work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am a light for the world." ⁶ As he said this he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and he put the clay on the man's eyes,

⁶ As he said this he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and he put the clay on the man's eyes, ⁷ and said to him, "Go and wash them in the Pool of Siloam"—a name which means One who has been sent. So he went and washed them, and went home able to see.

⁷ and said to him, "Go and wash them in the Pool of Siloam"—a name which means One who has been sent. So he went and washed them, and went home able to see. ⁸ Then his neighbors and people who had formerly seen him begging, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" ⁹ Some said, "Yes! It is he!" Others said, "No! but he looks like him." He himself said, "I am the man." ¹⁰ So they said to him, "Then how does it happen that you can see?" ¹¹ He answered, "The man they call Jesus made some clay and rubbed it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash them.' So I went and when I had washed them I could see." ¹² They said to him, "Where is he?" He answered, "I do not know."

¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I am giving my life for my sheep.

⁹ Jesus answered, "Is not the day twelve hours long? If a man travels by day he will not stumble, for he can see the light of this world;

³³ When Jesus saw her weep and the Jews who had come with her weeping too, repressing a groan, and yet showing great agitation, ³⁴ he said, "Where have you laid him?" They answered, "Come and see, Master." ³⁵ Jesus shed tears.

⁵⁰ "You know nothing about it. You do not realize that it is to your interest that one man should die for the people, instead of the whole nation being destroyed." ⁵¹ Now he was not self-moved in saying this, but as high priest for that year he was inspired to say that Jesus was to die for the nation— ⁵² and not only for the nation but also for the purpose of uniting the scattered children of God.

¹² On the following day the crowds that had come up to the festival, hearing that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,

¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, "You see, you cannot do anything! The whole world has run after him!" ²⁰ There were some Greeks among those who had come up to worship at the festival, ²¹ and they went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and made this request of him: "Sir, we want to see Jesus." ²² Philip went and told Andrew, and Andrew and Philip went to Jesus and told him.

⁴ rose from the table, took off his outer clothing, and fastened a towel about his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, wiping them with the towel that was about his waist. ⁶ So he came to Simon Peter. He said to him, "Master, are you going to wash my feet?" ⁷ Jesus answered, "You cannot understand now what I am doing, but you will learn by and by." ⁸ Peter said to him, "I will never let you wash my feet!" Jesus answered, "You will have no share with me unless I wash you." ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, "Master, wash not only my feet but my hands and my face too!" ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, "Anyone who has bathed only needs to have his feet washed to be altogether clean. And you are already clean—though not all of you." ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him; that was why he said, "You are not all of you clean." ¹² When he had washed their feet and put on his clothes and taken his place, he said to them again, "Do you understand what I have been doing to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Master, and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Master and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet too. ¹⁵ For I have set you an example, in order that you may do what I have done to you. ¹⁶ I tell you, no slave is superior to his master, and no messenger is greater than the man who sends him. ¹⁷ Now that you have this knowledge, you will be blessed if you act upon it.

¹ "I am the true vine, and my Father is the cultivator.

⁷ If you remain united to me and my words remain in your hearts, ask for whatever you please and you shall have it.

¹⁵ I do not call you slaves any longer, for a slave does not know what his master is doing, but now I call you friends, for I have made known to you everything that I have learned from my Father.

² just as you have done in giving him power over all mankind, so that he may give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

¹¹ Then Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword back into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has offered me?"

²⁸ Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor's house. It was early in the morning, and they would not go into the governor's house themselves, to avoid being ceremonially defiled and to be able to eat the Passover supper. ²⁹ So Pilate came outside to them, and said, "What charge do you make against this man?" ³⁰ They answered, "If he were not a criminal, we would not have turned him over to you." ³¹ Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves, and try him by your law." The Jews said to him, "We have no authority to put anyone to death." ³² This was to fulfil what Jesus said when he declared how he was to die. ³³ So Pilate went back into the governor's house and called Jesus and said to him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" ³⁴ Jesus answered, "Did you think of that yourself, or has someone else said it to you about me?" ³⁵ Pilate answered, "Do you take me for a Jew? Your own people and the high priests handed you over to me. What offense have you committed?" ³⁶ Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not a kingdom of this world. If my kingdom were a kingdom of this world, my men would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom has no such origin."

³⁶ Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not a kingdom of this world. If my kingdom were a kingdom of this world, my men would have fought to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom has no such origin." ³⁷ Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "As you say, I am a king. It was for this that I was born and for this that I came to the world, to give testimony for truth. Everyone who is on the side of truth listens to my voice." ³⁸ Pilate said to him, "What is truth!" With these words he went outside again to the Jews, and said to them, "I can find nothing to charge him with.

¹ Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ² And the soldiers made a wreath out of thorns and put it on his head, and put a purple coat on him, and they marched up to him, ³ saying, "Long live the king of the Jews!" each one giving him a blow. ⁴ And Pilate went outside again and said to the Jews, "See! I will bring him out to you, to show you that I can find nothing to charge him with."

⁶ So those who were present asked him, "Master, is this the time when you are going to re-establish the kingdom for Israel?"

¹⁵ These men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only nine in the morning.

²³ But you, by the fixed purpose and intention of God, handed him over to wicked men, and had him crucified.

³⁰ But as he was a prophet, and knew that God had promised him with an oath that he would put one of his descendants upon his throne,

¹ Peter and John were on their way up to the Temple for the three o'clock hour of prayer,

¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has done this honor to his servant Jesus, whom you betrayed and disowned before Pilate, when he had decided to let him go. ¹⁴ But you disowned the Holy, Righteous One. You asked to have a murderer released for you, ¹⁵ and killed the very source of life. But God raised him from the dead, as we can testify. ¹⁶ It is by his power and through faith in him that this man whom you see and recognize has been made strong again, and it is faith inspired by him that has given him the perfect health you all see.

¹⁶ They said, "What are we to do with these men? For it is plain to everyone in Jerusalem that an extraordinary wonder has been done by them. We cannot deny that.

²⁷ For they have assembled here in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you had consecrated—Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the heathen and the peoples of Israel,

²⁷ For they have assembled here in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you had consecrated—Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the heathen and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to carry out what your hand and will had destined should happen.

³ One afternoon, about three o'clock, he had a vision, and distinctly saw an angel of God come into his room and say to him, "Cornelius!"

⁹ The next day, while they were still on their way, and were just getting near the town, Peter went up on the housetop about noon to pray.

²⁹ That was why, when I was sent for, I came without any hesitation. And now I want to ask why you sent for me."

⁴¹ not by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had designated beforehand, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen from the dead.

² and when Peter returned to Jerusalem, the advocates of circumcision took him to task, ³ charging him with having visited and eaten with men who were not Jews.

² He had John's brother, James, beheaded,

⁵ When they reached Salamis, they proclaimed God's message in the Jewish synagogues. They had John with them as their assistant.

⁴⁵ But when the Jews saw the crowd, they were very jealous, and they contradicted what Paul said and abused him.

¹⁷ He had discussions at the synagogue with the Jews and those who worshiped with them, and every day in the public square with any whom he happened to find. ¹⁸ Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers debated with him. Some of them said, "What is this rag-picker trying to make out?" Others said, "He seems to be preaching some foreign deities." This was because he was telling the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ So they took him and brought him to the council of the Areopagus and said, "May we know just what this new teaching of yours is? ²⁰ Some of the things you tell us sound strange to us, and we want to know just what they mean." ²¹ For all Athenians and all visitors there from abroad used to spend all their time telling or listening to something new.

²¹ For all Athenians and all visitors there from abroad used to spend all their time telling or listening to something new.

³⁰ While God overlooked those times of ignorance, he now calls upon all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ since he has fixed a day on which he will justly judge the world through a man whom he has appointed, and whom he has guaranteed to all men by raising him from the dead."

³⁴ You know well enough that these hands of mine provided for my needs and my companions. ³⁵ I showed you in every way that by hard work like that we must help those who are weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, for he said, 'It makes one happier to give than to be given to.' "

¹¹ He came to see us and took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, "This is what the holy Spirit says: 'The Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt like this, and will hand him over to the heathen!' "

²¹ But he said to me, 'Go! I will send you far away to the heathen.' " ²² They had listened to him until he said that, but then they shouted, "Kill him and get him out of the world! A creature like that ought not to be allowed to live!"

¹⁸ to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan's control to God, so that they may have their sins forgiven and have a place among those who are consecrated through faith in me.'

³ about his Son, who was physically descended from David, ⁴ and decisively declared Son of God in his holiness of spirit, by being raised from the dead—Jesus Christ our Lord,

¹⁴ I owe a debt both to Greeks and to foreigners, to the cultivated and the uncultivated.

⁶ For he will pay every man for what he has done. ⁷ Those who by persistently doing right strive for glory, honor, and immortality will have eternal life, ⁸ but self-seeking people who are disloyal to the truth and responsive only to what is wrong will experience anger and fury, ⁹ crushing distress and anguish, every human soul of them that actually does what is wrong—the Jew first, and the Greek also; ¹⁰ but there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does right, the Jew first, and the Greek also,

⁴ By no means! God must prove true, though every man be false; as the Scripture says, "That you may be shown to be upright in what you say, And win your case when you go into court."

¹⁹ Now we know that everything the Law says is addressed to those under its authority, so that every mouth may be shut, and the whole world be made accountable to God.

²² It is God's way of uprightness and comes through having faith in Jesus Christ, and it is for all who have faith, without distinction. ²³ For all men sin and come short of the glory of God, ²⁴ but by his mercy they are made upright for nothing, by the deliverance secured through Christ Jesus.

²⁴ but by his mercy they are made upright for nothing, by the deliverance secured through Christ Jesus. ²⁵ For God showed him publicly dying as a sacrifice of reconciliation to be taken advantage of through faith. This was to vindicate his own justice (for in his forbearance, God passed over men's former sins)— ²⁶ to vindicate his justice at the present time, and show that he is upright himself, and that he makes those who have faith in Jesus upright also. ²⁷ Then what becomes of our boasting? It is shut out. On what principle? What a man does? No, but whether a man has faith.

³⁰ there is but one God, and he will make the circumcised upright on the ground of their faith and the uncircumcised upright because of theirs."

³ for what does the Scripture say? "Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as uprightness." ⁴ Now paying a workman is not considered a favor, but an obligation, ⁵ but a man who has no work to offer, but has faith in him who can make the ungodly upright, has his faith credited to him as uprightness. ⁶ So David himself says of the happiness of those to whom God credits uprightness without any reference to their actions,

²⁵ who was given up to death to make up for our offenses, and raised to life to make us upright.

¹⁵ But there is no comparison between God's gift and that offense. For if one man's offense made the mass of mankind die, God's mercy and his gift given through the favor of the one man Jesus Christ have far more powerfully affected mankind. ¹⁶ Nor is there any comparison between the gift and the effects of that one man's sin. That sentence arose from the act of one man, and was for condemnation; but God's gift arose out of many offenses and results in acquittal. ¹⁷ For if that one man's offense made death reign through that one man, all the more will those who receive God's overflowing mercy and his gift of uprightness live and reign through the one individual Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ So as one offense meant condemnation for all men, just so one righteous act means acquittal and life for all men. ¹⁹ For just as that one man's disobedience made the mass of mankind sinners, so this one's obedience will make the mass of them upright. ²⁰ Then law slipped in, and multiplied the offense. But greatly as sin multiplied, God's mercy has far surpassed it,

²⁰ Then law slipped in, and multiplied the offense. But greatly as sin multiplied, God's mercy has far surpassed it, ²¹ so that just as sin had reigned through death, mercy might reign through uprightness and bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹⁶ Do you not know that when you submit to being someone's slaves, and obeying him, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, whether your slavery is to sin, and leads to death, or is to obedience, and leads to uprightness? ¹⁷ But, thank God! though you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from your hearts to the standard of teaching that you received, ¹⁸ and so you have been freed from sin, and made slaves of uprightness. ¹⁹ I use these familiar human terms because of the limitations of your nature. For just as you before gave up the parts of your bodies in slavery to vice and greater and greater license, you must now give them up in slavery to uprightness, which leads to consecration. ²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free as far as uprightness was concerned. ²¹ What good did you get from doing the things you are now ashamed of? Why, they result in death! ²² But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you get is consecration, and the final result is eternal life.

¹⁷ and if children, heirs also; heirs of God, and fellow-heirs with Christ, if we really share his sufferings in order to share his glory too.

²⁶ In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit itself pleads for us with inexpressible yearnings,

³⁰ and those whom he has predestined he calls, and those whom he calls he makes upright, and those whom he makes upright he glorifies.

³⁴ who can condemn them? Christ Jesus who died, or rather who was raised from the dead, is at God's right hand, and actually pleads for us.

¹⁴ What do we conclude? That God is guilty of injustice? By no means. ¹⁵ He said to Moses, "I will have mercy on the man on whom I choose to have mercy, and take pity on the man on whom I choose to take pity."

¹⁵ He said to Moses, "I will have mercy on the man on whom I choose to have mercy, and take pity on the man on whom I choose to take pity." ¹⁶ So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on the mercy of God. ¹⁷ The Scripture says to Pharaoh, "I have raised you to your position for the very purpose of displaying my power in dealing with you, and making my name known all over the world." ¹⁸ So he has mercy on anyone he pleases, and hardens the heart of anyone he pleases. ¹⁹ "Why, then," you will ask, "does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?" ²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, my friend, to answer back to God? Can something a man shapes say to the man who shaped it, "Why did you make me like this?"

²⁰ On the contrary, who are you, my friend, to answer back to God? Can something a man shapes say to the man who shaped it, "Why did you make me like this?" ²¹ Has not the potter with his clay the right to make from the same lump one thing for exalted uses and another for menial ones? ²² Then what if God, though he wanted to display his anger and show his power, has shown great patience toward the objects of his anger, already ripe for destruction, ²³ so as to show all the wealth of his glory in dealing with the objects of his mercy, whom he has prepared from the beginning to share his glory, ²⁴ including us whom he has called not only from among the Jews but from among the heathen?

³⁰ Then what do we conclude? That heathen who were not striving for uprightness attained it, that is, an uprightness which was produced by faith;

³⁰ Then what do we conclude? That heathen who were not striving for uprightness attained it, that is, an uprightness which was produced by faith; ³¹ while Israel, straining after a law that should bring uprightness, did not come up to it. ³² And why? Because they did not seek it through faith, but through doing certain things. They stumbled over that stone that makes people stumble,

¹ Brothers, my heart is full of good will toward them; my prayer to God is that they may be saved. ² I can testify to their sincere devotion to God, but it is not an intelligent devotion. ³ For in their ignorance of God's way of uprightness and in the attempt to set up one of their own, they refused to conform to God's way of uprightness.

¹⁴ But how are they to call upon him if they have not believed in him? And how are they to believe him if they have never heard him? And how are they to hear unless someone preaches to them? ¹⁵ And how are men to preach unless they are sent to do it? As the Scripture says, "How welcome is the coming of those who bring good news!" ¹⁶ It is true, they have not all accepted the good news, for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what we have told?" ¹⁷ So faith comes from hearing what is told, and that hearing comes through the message about Christ.

⁵ So too at the present time there is a remnant selected by God's mercy. ⁶ But if it is by his mercy, it is not for anything they have done. Otherwise, his mercy would not be mercy at all.

¹⁰ Be affectionate in your love for the brotherhood, eager to show one another honor,

²⁵ To him who can make you strong by the good news I bring and the preaching about Jesus Christ, through the disclosure of the secret kept back for long ages but now revealed,

⁹ But, as the Scripture says, there are things "Which no eye ever saw and no ear ever heard, And never occurred to the human mind, Which God has provided for those who love him."

¹ The right way for a man to think of us is as Christ's servants, and managers authorized to distribute the secret truths of God. ² Now further, what is always demanded of managers is that they can be depended on.

⁷ For who sees anything special in you? And what have you got that you have not been given? But if it has been given you, why do you boast as though it had not been?

¹¹ To this day we have gone hungry, thirsty, and ill-clad; we have had rough usage, we have had no home,

¹¹ Some of you used to be like that; but you have washed it all away, you have been consecrated, you have become upright, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.

¹⁹ Though I am free from anyone's control, I have made myself everyone's slave, so as to win over all the more. ²⁰ To the Jews I have become like a Jew, to win Jews over; to men under the Law I have become like a man under the Law, though I am not myself under the Law, so as to win over those who are under the Law. ²¹ To those who have no law I have become like a man without any law—though I am not without the law of God, but under the law of Christ—so as to win over those who are without any law. ²² To the overscrupulous I have become overscrupulous, so as to win the overscrupulous; I have become everything to everybody, so as by all means to save some of them. ²³ And I do it all for the sake of the good news, so that I may share in its blessings along with the rest.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not envious or boastful. It does not put on airs.

³ For I passed on to you, as of first importance, the account I had received, that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures foretold, ⁴ that he was buried, that on the third day he was raised from the dead, as the Scriptures foretold, ⁵ and that he was seen by Cephas, and then by the Twelve. ⁶ After that he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, although some of them have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he was seen by James, then by all the apostles,

⁵⁸ So my dear brothers, be firm and unmoved, and always devote yourselves to the Lord's work, for you know that through the Lord your labor is not thrown away.

⁷ My hopes for you are unshaken. For I know that just as surely as you share my sufferings, just so surely you will share my comfort.

²⁴ Not that we are the masters of you and your faith; we are working with you to make you happy, for in your faith you stand firm enough.

⁵ For it is not myself but Christ Jesus that I am proclaiming as Lord; I am only a slave of yours for Jesus' sake.

¹⁰ For we must all appear in our true characters before the tribunal of the Christ, each to be repaid with good or evil for the life he has lived in the body.

⁹ You know how gracious the Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was rich, he became poor for your sake, in order that by his poverty you might become rich.

⁴ for the weapons I use are not earthly ones, but divinely strong for destroying fortresses. ⁵ I destroy arguments and every obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, and I take captive every thought and make it obey Christ, ⁶ and am prepared to punish any trace of disobedience when you have made your obedience perfectly clear. ⁷ You look at things externally. If anyone is sure he belongs to Christ, let him think again and understand that I belong to Christ just as much as he. ⁸ For suppose I do boast a little too much of my authority—which the Lord gave me to build you up, not to pull you down—I will not have to blush for it. ⁹ I do not want to seem to scare you with my letters. ¹⁰ For they say, "His letters are impressive and telling, but his personal appearance is insignificant and as a speaker he amounts to nothing."

⁵ For I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superfine apostles of yours.

²³ If they are Christian workers—I am talking like a madman!—I am a better one! with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, vastly worse beatings, and in frequent danger of death.

²³ If they are Christian workers—I am talking like a madman!—I am a better one! with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, vastly worse beatings, and in frequent danger of death. ²⁴ Five times I have been given one less than forty lashes, by the Jews.

²⁴ Five times I have been given one less than forty lashes, by the Jews. ²⁵ I have been beaten three times by the Romans, I have been stoned once, I have been shipwrecked three times, a night and a day I have been adrift at sea;

²⁵ I have been beaten three times by the Romans, I have been stoned once, I have been shipwrecked three times, a night and a day I have been adrift at sea; ²⁶ with my frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the heathen, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers,

²⁶ with my frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the heathen, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, ²⁷ through toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger and thirst, often without food, and exposed to cold.

²⁷ through toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger and thirst, often without food, and exposed to cold. ²⁸ And besides everything else, the thing that burdens me every day is my anxiety about all the churches.

¹⁵ And I will be glad to spend all I have and all I am for your sake. Are you going to love me the less for loving you so intensely?

¹³ Christ ransomed us from the Law's curse by taking our curse upon himself (for the Scripture says, "Cursed be anyone who is hung on a tree")

⁶ so that we might praise the splendid blessing which he has given us through his beloved Son. ⁷ It is through union with him and through his blood that we have been delivered and our offenses forgiven,

⁷ It is through union with him and through his blood that we have been delivered and our offenses forgiven, ⁸ in the abundance of his mercy which he has lavished upon us.

¹¹ the Christ through whom it is our lot to have been predestined by the design of him who in everything carries out the purpose of his will,

¹⁷ The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, grant you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation through the knowledge of himself, ¹⁸ enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people, ¹⁹ and how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe; like the mighty strength

¹ You also were dead because of the offenses and sins

⁵ he made us, dead as we were through our offenses, live again with the Christ. It is by his mercy that you have been saved.

⁸ For it is by his mercy that you have been saved through faith. It is not by your own action, it is the gift of God. ⁹ It has not been earned, so that no one can boast of it. ¹⁰ For he has made us, creating us through our union with Christ Jesus for the life of goodness which God had predestined us to live. ¹¹ So remember that you were once physically heathen, and called uncircumcised by those who called themselves circumcised, though only physically, by human hands. ¹² At that time you had no connection with Christ, you were aliens to the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the agreements about God's promise; with no hope and no God in all the world.

⁵ (which in past ages was not disclosed to mankind as fully as it has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets) ⁶ that through union with Christ Jesus the heathen are fellow-heirs with the Jews, belong to the same body and share the promise with them, through the good news

⁶ that through union with Christ Jesus the heathen are fellow-heirs with the Jews, belong to the same body and share the promise with them, through the good news

² and lead loving lives, just as Christ loved you and gave himself for you, as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

⁸ for you know that everyone, slave or free, will be rewarded by the Lord for his good conduct.

³ Do not act for selfish ends or from vanity, but modestly treat one another as your superiors. ⁴ Do not take account of your own interests, but of the interests of others as well. ⁵ Have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. ⁶ Though he possessed the nature of God, he did not grasp at equality with God, ⁷ but laid it aside to take on the nature of a slave and become like other men. ⁸ When he had assumed human form, he still further humbled himself and carried his obedience so far as to die, and to die upon the cross.

⁶ Have no anxiety about anything, but make all your wants known to God in prayer and entreaty, and with thanksgiving.

²⁴ At present I am glad to be suffering in your interest, and I am making up in my own person what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the church, which is his body.

²⁶ that secret, hidden from the ages and generations, but now disclosed to those who are consecrated to him,

¹ If, then, you have been raised to life with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are where Christ is, above, seated at God's right hand.

¹ You who are masters must treat your slaves justly and fairly, and remember that you have a Master too, in heaven. ² Be persistent in prayer and wide awake about it when you give thanks.

¹³ We for our part constantly thank God for another reason too—because when you received God's message from our lips, you welcomed it not as the message of men but as the message of God, as it really is, which does its work in the hearts of you believers.

¹⁶ try to keep us from speaking to the heathen so that they may be saved, so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has overtaken them at last!

¹⁷ Never give up praying.

¹³ We always have to thank God for you, brothers whom the Lord so loves, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved through consecration by the Spirit and through faith in the truth, ¹⁴ and called you to it through our preaching of the good news, so that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me the strength for it, for thinking me trustworthy and putting me into his service, ¹³ though I once used to abuse, persecute, and insult him. But he had mercy on me, because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, ¹⁴ and the blessing of our Lord has been given me in the greatest abundance, together with faith and love that union with Christ Jesus brings. ¹⁵ It is a trustworthy saying, entitled to the fullest acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of them, ¹⁶ but God had mercy on me in order that in my case as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display his perfect patience, as an example to those who would later believe in him and find eternal life.

⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all men. This is what was testified to at the proper times,

¹³ Besides, as they go about from house to house they learn to be idle, and not only idle but gossips and busybodies, and talk of things they ought not to mention.

¹⁸ The Lord grant that he may be shown mercy by the Lord on that Day! And you know well enough how he helped me at Ephesus.

¹¹ How true those words are! "If we have died with him, we will live with him! ¹² If we endure, we will reign with him! If we disown him, he will also disown us!

¹⁵ and how from childhood you have known the Scriptures which can give you the wisdom that through faith in Christ Jesus leads to salvation.

⁷ For as God's overseer a superintendent must be irreproachable, not arrogant or quick-tempered or given to drink or pugnacious or addicted to dishonest gain,

¹⁴ He gave himself for us, to free us from all wickedness and purify for himself a people of his own, eager to do right.

⁸ This is a trustworthy teaching, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who believe in God may make it their business to do good. All this is right and beneficial to mankind.

² and our sister Apphia, and our fellow-soldier Archippus, and the church that meets in your house; ³ God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you and give you peace.

¹³ I would have liked to keep him with me, to wait on me in your place while I am in prison for the good news, ¹⁴ Are not the angels all spirits in service, whom he sends on his errands for the good of those who are destined to possess salvation?

¹⁰ For it was appropriate that he who is the great First Cause of the universe should, in guiding his many children to his glorious salvation, make their leader in it fully qualified through what he suffered.

¹⁷ And so he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might prove a compassionate high priest as well as one faithful in his service to God, in order to forgive the people's sins.

¹⁵ For our high priest is not one who is incapable of sympathy with our weaknesses, but he has been tempted in every way just as we have, without committing any sin. ¹⁶ So let us come with courage to God's throne of grace to receive his forgiveness and find him responsive when we need his help.

⁸ And although he was a son, he learned to obey, through what he suffered,

¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to forget the work you have done and the love you have showed for his cause, in giving help to your fellow-Christians as you still do.

¹² so that you may never grow careless, but may learn to follow the example of those who through their faith and endurance are the possessors of God's promises.

²⁸ so the Christ too, after being offered in sacrifice once for all to carry away the sins of many, will appear again but without any burden of sin, to those who are eagerly waiting for him to come and save them.

¹⁶ But, as it is, their aspirations are for a better, a heavenly country! That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city to receive them.

²⁴ Faith made Moses, when he was grown up, refuse to be known as a son of Pharaoh's daughter, ²⁵ for he preferred sharing the hardships of God's people to a short-lived enjoyment of sin, ²⁶ and thought such contempt as the Christ endured was truer wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking forward to the coming reward.

²¹ fit you by every blessing to do his will, and through Jesus Christ carry out in us what will please him. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹¹ For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, and the flowers wither, and all their beauty is gone. That is the way rich men will fade and die in the midst of their pursuits.

¹⁸ Of his own accord he brought us into being through the message of truth, so that we might be a kind of first-fruits among his creatures.

²³ For anyone who merely listens to the message without obeying it is like a man who looks in a mirror at the face that nature gave him, ²⁴ and then goes off and immediately forgets what he looked like. ²⁵ But whoever looks at the faultless law that makes men free and keeps looking, so that he does not just listen and forget, but obeys and acts upon it, will be blessed in what he does.

¹⁴ But if you cherish bitter feelings of jealousy and rivalry in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus belie the truth.

³ You ask and fail to get them because you ask with wrong motives, to spend them on your pleasures.

⁵ Do you suppose the Scripture means nothing when it says, "He yearns jealously over the Spirit he has put in our hearts?" ⁶ But he gives all the greater blessing. As the Scripture says, "God opposes haughty persons, but he blesses humble-minded ones."

⁹ Do not complain of one another, brothers, or you will be judged. The judge is standing right at the door!

¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action, and with perfect calmness fix your hopes on the mercy that you are to experience when Jesus Christ is revealed.

¹⁸ for you know that you have not been ransomed with anything perishable like silver or gold, from the futile way of living in which you were brought up, ¹⁹ but with precious blood, like that of an unblemished, spotless lamb, the blood of Christ,

²⁴ He carried the burden of our sins in his own body on the cross, in order that we might die to sin and live for uprightness. By his wounds you have been healed.

⁸ Finally, you must all be harmonious, sympathizing, loving, tender-hearted, modest,

¹⁸ For Christ himself died once for all, for sin, an upright man for unrighteous men, to bring us to God, and was physically put to death, but he was made alive in the Spirit.

² and no longer lives by what men desire, but for the rest of his earthly life by what God wills. ³ You have spent time enough in the past in doing as the heathen like to do, indulging in sensuality, passion, drunkenness, carousing, dissipation, and detestable idolatry.

¹⁰ Whatever the endowment God has given you, use it in service to one another, like good dispensers of God's varied mercy. ¹¹ If one preaches, let him do it like one who utters the words of God; if one does some service, let him do it as with strength which God supplies, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

³ and not as tyrannizing over those in your charge but proving models for the flock;

⁵ You younger men must show deference to the elders. And you must all clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but shows mercy to the humble.

⁵ For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, ⁶ knowledge with self-control, self-control with steadfastness, steadfastness with piety, ⁷ piety with a spirit of brotherhood, and the spirit of brotherhood with love. ⁸ For if you have these qualities in their fulness, they will make you neither idle nor unproductive when it comes to the understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is blind or near-sighted, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, make all the greater efforts to make God's call and choice of you certain. For if you have these qualities, you will never stumble,

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

⁹ I have written briefly to the church, but Diotrephes who likes to be their leader will not accept what I say. ¹⁰ So if I come, I will bring up the things that he is doing, and how he is maliciously accusing me. Not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers himself, and he is interfering with those who want to do so, and has them put out of the church.

¹⁶ These men are grumblers, dissatisfied with life. They go where their passions lead, their talk is arrogant and they cultivate people in the hope of gain.

⁵ and from Jesus Christ the trustworthy witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the sovereign of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has released us from our sins by his blood

⁹ I, John, your brother and companion in the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance that Jesus brings, found myself on the island called Patmos, for uttering God's message and testifying to Jesus.

⁸ When he took the roll, the four animals and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each with a harp and gold bowls full of incense, that is, of the prayers of God's people. ⁹ Then they sang a new song: "You deserve to take the roll and open its seals, for you have been slaughtered, and with your blood have bought for God men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation,

⁶ and I heard a voice which seemed to come from the midst of the four animals say, "Wheat at a dollar a quart, and barley three quarts for a dollar, but you must not injure the oil and wine!"

¹¹ Then I saw another animal come up out of the land. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercises the full authority of the first animal on its behalf. It makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first animal, whose mortal wound had been healed. ¹³ It performs great wonders, even making fire come down from heaven to earth before men's eyes. ¹⁴ It leads the inhabitants of the earth astray by the wonders it is allowed to do on behalf of the animal, telling the inhabitants of the earth to erect a statue to the animal that bears the mark of the sword-thrust and yet lives. ¹⁵ It is also allowed to impart life to the animal's statue so that the animal's statue can speak, and to have all who do not worship the animal's statue killed. ¹⁶ And it makes everyone, high and low, rich and poor, freemen and slaves, have a mark stamped on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ and permits no one to buy or sell anything unless he bears the mark, that is, the animal's name or the number corresponding to its name.

⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God's people, and the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her I was perfectly amazed,

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne with a being seated on it from whose presence earth and sky fled so far that they could not be found. ¹² I saw the dead, high and low, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened; it was the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books about what they had done.