1 John 1 Cross References - ISV

¹ Jesus, the Word of LifeWhat existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life! ² This life was revealed to us, and we have seen it and testify about it. We declare to you this eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. ³ What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah. ⁴ We are writing these things so that our joy may be full.
⁵ Living in the LightThis is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness—none at all! ⁶ If we claim that we have fellowship with him but keep living in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. ⁷ But if we keep living in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and we’re not being truthful to ourselves. ⁹ If we make it our habit to confess our sins, in his faithful righteousness he forgives us for those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have never sinned, we make him a liar and his word has no place in us.

²² The Agelessness of Wisdom“The LORD made me as he began his planning, before his ancient activity commenced. ²³ From eternity I was appointed, from the beginning, from before there was land. ²⁴ When there were no ocean depths, I brought them to birth at a time when there were no springs. ²⁵ Before the mountains were shaped, before there were hills, I was bringing them to birth. ²⁶ Even though he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the world’s first grains of dust, ²⁷ when he crafted the heavens, I was there— when he marked out a circle on the face of the deep, ²⁸ when he made the clouds from above, when the springs of the depths were established, ²⁹ when he set a boundary for the sea so the waters would not exceed his limits, when he marked out the foundations of the earth. ³⁰ Then I was with him, his master craftsman— I was his delight daily, continuously rejoicing in his presence, ³¹ rejoicing in his inhabitable world and taking delight in mankind.”

⁴ Who has performed and carried this out, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and will be with the last —I am the One!”

² The Ruler from Bethlehem“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity.

² just as they were passed down to us by those who had been eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning,

³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet, because it’s really me. Touch me and look at me, because a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

¹ The Word and CreationIn the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He existed in the beginning with God. ³ Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity. ⁵ And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
⁶ John’s Witness to the WordThere was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe because of him. ⁸ John was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. ⁹ This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not recognize him.
¹¹ Responses to the WordHe came to his own creation, yet his own people did not receive him. ¹² However, to all who received him, those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God’s children, ¹³ who were born, not merely in a genetic sense, nor from lust, nor from man’s desire, but from the will of God.
¹⁴ The Word Becomes HumanThe Word became flesh and lived among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father’s unique Son, who is full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ John told the truth about him when he cried out, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶ We have all received one gracious gift after another from his abundance, ¹⁷ because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. The unique God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.

²⁶ Just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted the Son to have life in himself,

⁵⁸ Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, before there was an Abraham, I AM!”

³⁵ The one who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows he is telling the truth so that you, too, may believe,

²⁷ Then he told Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Take your hand, and put it into my side. Stop doubting, but believe.”

³ After he had suffered, he had shown himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during a period of 40 days and telling them about the kingdom of God.

²⁰ for we cannot stop talking about what we’ve seen and heard.”

¹⁶ Pay Attention to God’s WordWhen we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, we did not follow any clever myths. Rather, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For he received honor and glory from God the Father when these words from the Majestic Glory were spoken about him: “This is my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with him.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

² This life was revealed to us, and we have seen it and testify about it. We declare to you this eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us. ³ What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah.

¹³ I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. I am writing to you, young people, because you have overcome the evil one. ¹⁴ I have written to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, because you are strong and because God’s word remains in you and you have overcome the evil one.

¹⁴ We have seen for ourselves and can testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.

⁷ For there are three witnesses—

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” declares the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.”

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

¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. But he placed his right hand on me and said, “Stop being afraid! I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ the living one. I was dead—but look!—I am alive forever and ever! I have the keys of Death and Hades.

⁸ The Letter to the Church in Smyrna“To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write:
‘The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says this:

¹³ He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

²² The Agelessness of Wisdom“The LORD made me as he began his planning, before his ancient activity commenced. ²³ From eternity I was appointed, from the beginning, from before there was land. ²⁴ When there were no ocean depths, I brought them to birth at a time when there were no springs. ²⁵ Before the mountains were shaped, before there were hills, I was bringing them to birth. ²⁶ Even though he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the world’s first grains of dust, ²⁷ when he crafted the heavens, I was there— when he marked out a circle on the face of the deep, ²⁸ when he made the clouds from above, when the springs of the depths were established, ²⁹ when he set a boundary for the sea so the waters would not exceed his limits, when he marked out the foundations of the earth. ³⁰ Then I was with him, his master craftsman— I was his delight daily, continuously rejoicing in his presence,

¹ The Word and CreationIn the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He existed in the beginning with God.

⁴ In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity.

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. The unique God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.

¹³ “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who came down from heaven, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

²⁹ I know him because I’ve come from him, and he sent me.”

³⁸ I declare what I’ve seen in my Father’s presence, and you’re doing what you’ve heard from your father.”

²⁵ Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The person who believes in me, even though he dies, will live. ²⁶ Indeed, everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe that?”

⁶ Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

²⁷ You will testify also, because you have been with me from the beginning.

²⁸ I left the Father and came into the world. Now I’m leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

³ And this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent—Jesus the Messiah.

⁵ “So now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed.

¹⁴ This was now the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after he had been raised from the dead.

²² beginning when he was baptized by John until the day he was taken up from us. Therefore, someone like this must become a witness with us to his resurrection.”

³² “It was this very Jesus whom God raised—and we’re all witnesses of that.

¹⁵ and you killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses to that.

³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who keep on obeying him.”

⁴¹ not to all the people, but to us who were chosen by God to be witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

³ For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did. By sending his own Son in the form of humanity, he condemned sin by being incarnate,

²⁵ Final DoxologyNow to the one who is able to strengthen you with my gospel and the message that I preach about Jesus, the Messiah, by revealing the secret that was kept hidden from long ago ²⁶ but now has been made known through the prophets to all the gentiles, in keeping with the decree of the eternal God to bring them to the obedience that springs from faith—

⁴ But when the appropriate time had come, God sent his Son, born by a woman, born under the Law,

¹⁶ By common confession, the secret of our godly worship is great: In flesh was he revealed to sight, kept righteous by the Spirit’s might, adored by angels singing. To nations was he manifest, believing souls found peace and rest, our Lord in heaven reigning!

¹⁰ Now, however, that grace has been revealed through the coming of our Savior the Messiah Jesus, who has destroyed death and through the gospel has brought life and release from death into full view.

² which is based on the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before the world began.

¹ Be Shepherds of God’s FlockTherefore, as a fellow elder, a witness of the Messiah’s sufferings, and one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you:

¹ Jesus, the Word of LifeWhat existed from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we observed and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life!

⁵ You know that the Messiah was revealed to take away sins, and there is not any sin in him.

⁸ The person who practices sin belongs to the evil one, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God was revealed was to destroy what the devil has been doing.

¹¹ This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son.

²⁰ We also know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true God. We are in union with the one who is true, his Son Jesus the Messiah, who is the true God and eternal life.

⁷ The Anointed King SpeaksLet me announce the decree of the LORD that he told me: “You are my son, today I have become your father.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you, saying,

¹⁹ “I will put up signs among them, and from them I will send survivors to the nations—to Tarshish, Libya, and Lydia, (who draw the bow), to Tubal and Greece, to the far off coastlands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. Then they will proclaim my glory among the nations.

²⁰ At that time, you’ll know that I am in my Father, that you are in me, and that I am in you. ²¹ The person who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love him and reveal myself to him.”
²² Judas (not Iscariot) asked him, “Lord, how is it that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. Then my Father will love him, and we will go to him and make our home within him.

¹¹ I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by your Name, the Name that you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

²¹ so that they may all be one. Just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.

²⁵ “Righteous Father, the world has never known you. Yet I have known you, and these men have known that you sent me.

⁴² Life among the BelieversThe believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

³² We’re telling you the good news: What God promised our ancestors

⁴¹ ‘Look, you mockers! Be amazed and die! Since I am performing an action in your days, one that you would not believe even if someone told you!’”

²⁷ because I never shrank from telling you the whole plan of God.

²⁷ Yes, they were eager to do this, and in fact they are obligated to help them, for if the gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to be of service to them in material things.

⁹ Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his Son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

³⁰ It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.

¹ The Resurrection of the MessiahNow I’m making known to you, brothers, the gospel that I proclaimed to you, which you accepted, on which you have taken your stand,

¹⁴ May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you!

⁶ The gentiles are heirs-in-common, members-in-common of the body, and common participants in what was promised by the Messiah Jesus through the gospel.

⁷ For it is only right for me to think this way about all of you, because you’re constantly on my mind. Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are partners with me in this privilege.

¹ Unity through HumilityTherefore, if there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any comfort of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if there is any compassion and sympathy,

¹⁰ I want to know the Messiah—what his resurrection power is like and what it means to share in his sufferings by becoming like him in his death,

¹³ God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves,

¹⁰ and to wait for his Son whom he raised from the dead to come back from heaven. This Jesus is the one who rescues us from the coming wrath.

² Moreover, those who have believing masters should be respectful to them, because they are fellow believers. In fact, they must serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dear to them. These are the things you must teach and exhort.

¹² when he says, “I will announce your name to my brothers. I will praise you within the congregation.”

¹ The Messiah is Superior to MosesTherefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.

¹⁴ because we are the Messiah’s partners only if we hold on to our original confidence to the end.

⁵ Living in the LightThis is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness—none at all!

⁷ But if we keep living in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father. The person who acknowledges the Son also has the Father.
²⁴ What you have heard from the beginning must abide in you. If what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, you will also abide in the Son and in the Father.

¹⁰ The person who believes in the Son of God believes this testimony personally. The person who does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony that he has given about his Son.
¹¹ This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son.

¹⁰ Rejoicing in God’s Deliverance“I will heartily rejoice in the LORD, my soul will delight in my God; for he has wrapped me in garments of salvation; he has arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, just like a bridegroom, like a priest with a garland, and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

¹⁷ Even though the fig tree does not blossom, and there are no grapes on the vines; even if the olive harvest fails, and the fields produce nothing edible; even if the flock is snatched from the sheepfold, and there is no herd in the stalls— ¹⁸ as for me, I will rejoice in the LORD. I will find my joy in the God who delivers me.

²⁹ It is the bridegroom who gets the bride, yet the bridegroom’s friend, who merely stands by and listens for him, is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That’s why this joy of mine is now complete.

¹¹ I’ve told you this, so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

²⁴ So far you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Keep asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”

²⁴ It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

¹⁹ that is, you will know the love of the Messiah— which transcends knowledge, and will be filled with all the fullness of God.

²⁵ Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will continue to live and be with all of you, so you will mature in the faith and know joy in it. ²⁶ Then your rejoicing in the Messiah Jesus will increase along with mine when I visit with you again.

¹ The Messiah is Our AdvocateMy little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you might not sin. Yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus, the Messiah, one who is righteous.

¹² Final GreetingAlthough I have a great deal to write to you, I would prefer not to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

¹ Davidic
Confidence in the LORD The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom will I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom will I be afraid?

⁹ For with you is a fountain of life, and in your light we will see light.

¹¹ For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD grants grace and favor; the LORD will not withhold any good thing from those who walk blamelessly.

¹⁹ “The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness will the moon shine on you by night— for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

⁹ This was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.

¹² Jesus the Light of the WorldLater on, Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

⁵ As long as I’m in the world, I’m the light of the world.”

³⁵ Jesus replied to the crowd, “The light is among you only for a short time. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The person who walks in the darkness is in the darkness and does not know where he is going. ³⁶ As long as you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.” After Jesus had said this, he went away and hid from them.

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you—how the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took a loaf of bread,

¹⁶ He alone has endless life and lives in inaccessible light. No one has ever seen him, nor can anyone see him. Honor and eternal power belong to him! Amen.

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father who made the heavenly lights, in whom there is no inconsistency or shifting shadow.

¹¹ Love One AnotherThis is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

²³ The city doesn’t need any sun or moon to give it light, because the glory of God gave it light, and the lamb was its lamp.

⁵ There will be no more night, and they will not need any light from lamps or the sun because the Lord God will shine on them. They will rule forever and ever.

⁴ Indeed, you aren’t a God who delights in wickedness; evil will never dwell with you. ⁵ Boastful ones will not stand before you; you hate all those who practice wickedness. ⁶ You will destroy those who speak lies. The LORD abhors the person of bloodshed and deceit.

⁵ They neither know nor understand; they walk about in the dark while all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

²⁰ Will destructive national leaders, who plan wicked things through misuse of the Law, be allied with you?

¹³ and from those who abandon the right path to travel along the ways of darkness;

¹⁸ The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that grows brighter until the full light of day. ¹⁹ But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, and they do not know what they are stumbling over.

²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn’t we?’

¹⁹ And this is the basis for judgment: The light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light because their actions were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who practices wickedness hates the light and does not come to the light, so that his actions may not be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may become evident that his actions have God’s approval.”

⁴⁴ You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and has never stood for truth, since there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But it is because I speak the truth that you don’t believe me.

¹⁰ But if anyone walks at night he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

³⁵ Jesus replied to the crowd, “The light is among you only for a short time. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. The person who walks in the darkness is in the darkness and does not know where he is going.

⁴⁶ I’ve come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me won’t remain in the darkness.

¹⁴ Relating with UnbelieversStop becoming unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony exists between the Messiah and Beliar, or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common? ¹⁶ What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: “I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

² and the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences have been burned by a hot iron.

¹⁴ Faith is Shown by ActionsWhat good does it do, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not prove it with actions? This kind of faith cannot save him, can it?

¹⁶ and one of you tells them, “Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily.” If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do?

¹⁸ But someone may say, “You have faith, and I have actions.” Show me your faith without any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions.

³ What we have seen and heard we declare to you so that you, too, can have fellowship with us. Now this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus, the Messiah.

⁸ If we say that we do not have any sin, we are deceiving ourselves and we’re not being truthful to ourselves.

¹⁰ If we say that we have never sinned, we make him a liar and his word has no place in us.

⁴ The person who says, “I have come to know him,” but does not continually keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth has no place in that person.

⁹ The person who says that he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. ¹⁰ The person who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no reason for him to stumble. ¹¹ But the person who hates his brother is in the darkness and lives in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

²⁰ Whoever says, “I love God,” but hates his brother is a liar. The one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love the God whom he has not seen.

¹⁷ You say, “I am rich. I have become wealthy. I don’t need anything.” Yet you don’t realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. ¹⁸ Therefore, I advise you to buy from me gold purified in fire so you may be rich, white clothes to wear so your shameful nakedness won’t show, and ointment to put on your eyes so you may see.

¹³ For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living!

¹⁵ How happy are the people who can worship joyfully! LORD, they walk in the light of your presence.

¹¹ Light shines on the righteous; gladness on the morally upright.

² you are wrapped in light like a garment, stretching out the sky like a curtain.

⁵ “You house of Jacob!
Come! Let’s live in the LORD’s light.

³ Seven Questions to Ponder“Will a couple walk in unity without having met?

¹ At that time, a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for those who live in Jerusalem so they can be cleansed from sin and ceremonial impurity.

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!

¹² The night is almost over, and the day is near. Let’s therefore put aside the actions of darkness and put on the armor of light.

¹¹ That is what some of you were! But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and by the Spirit of our God.

⁷ In union with him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of God’s grace

⁸ For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light,

¹⁴ how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead actions so that we may serve the living God!

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of the Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or defect.

¹ The Messiah is Our AdvocateMy little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you might not sin. Yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus, the Messiah, one who is righteous. ² It is he who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world’s.

⁹ The person who says that he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. ¹⁰ The person who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no reason for him to stumble.

⁶ This man, Jesus the Messiah, is the one who came by water and blood—not with water only, but with water and with blood. The Spirit is the one who verifies this, because the Spirit is the truth.

⁸ the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are one.

⁴ Living in the TruthI was overjoyed to find some of your children living truthfully, just as the Father has commanded us.

⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are living according to the truth.
⁵ and from Jesus the Messiah, the witness, the faithful one, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

¹⁴ I told him, “Sir, you know.”
Then he told me, “These are the people who are coming out of the terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.

¹¹ Our brothers conquered him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to their lives even in the face of death.

⁴⁶ “When they sin against you—because there isn’t a single human being who doesn’t sin—and you become angry with them and deliver them over to their enemy, who takes them away captive to the land that belongs to their enemy, whether near or far away,

³⁶ “When they sin against you—because there isn’t a single human being who doesn’t sin—and you become angry with them and deliver them over to their enemy, who takes them away captive to a land that’s near or far away,

² “Indeed, I’m fully aware that this is so, but how can a person become right with God?

⁴ Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean thing? No one!

¹⁴ “What is mankind, that he can be blameless? Or does being born of a woman mean he’ll be in the right?

⁴ How can a human being become right with God? How can a human being be pure?

² Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no living person is righteous in your sight.

⁹ Who can say, “My intentions are pure; I am clean from any sin?”

²⁰ For there is not a single righteous man on earth who practices good and does not sin.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned, each of us, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy rag; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind, our iniquities sweep us away.

²² Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Lord GOD.
²³ Israel’s Passion for Sin“How can you say, ‘I’m not defiled. I haven’t gone after the Baals.’? Look at what you’ve done in the valley. Know what you have done. You are a swift young camel galloping aimlessly;

²³ since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory.

¹⁸ True WisdomLet no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in the ways of this world, he must become a fool to become really wise.

³ For if anyone thinks he is something when he is really nothing, he is only fooling himself.

⁵ and incessant conflict between people who are depraved in mind and deprived of truth. They think that godliness is a way to make a profit.

¹³ But evil people and impostors will go from bad to worse as they deceive others and are themselves deceived.

²² Keep on being obedient to the word, and not merely being hearers who deceive themselves.

²⁶ If anyone thinks that he is religious and does not bridle his tongue, but instead deceives himself, his religion is worthless.

² For all of us make many mistakes. If someone does not make any mistakes when he speaks, he is perfect and able to control his whole body.

¹³ suffering harm as punishment for their wrongdoing. They take pleasure in wild parties in broad daylight. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceitful pleasures while they eat with you.

⁶ If we claim that we have fellowship with him but keep living in darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth.

⁵ You know that the Messiah was revealed to take away sins, and there is not any sin in him. ⁶ No one who remains in union with him keeps on sinning. The one who keeps on sinning hasn’t seen him or known him.

² that is present in us and will be with us forever.
³ I was overjoyed when some brothers arrived and testified about your truthfulness and how you live according to the truth.

⁴⁰ Return from Captivity“Nevertheless, when they confess their iniquity, the iniquity of their ancestors, and their unfaithfulness by which they acted unfaithfully against me by living life contrary to me— ⁴¹ causing me to oppose them and take them to the land of their enemies so that the uncircumcised foreskin of their hearts can be humbled and so that they accept the punishment of their iniquity— ⁴² then I’ll remember my covenant with Jacob, my covenant with Isaac, and my covenant with Abraham. I’ll also remember the land.

⁹ Know that the LORD your God is God, the trusted God who faithfully keeps his covenant to the thousandth generation of those who love him and obey his commands.

⁴⁷ if they turn their hearts back to you in the land where they have been taken captive, repent, and pray to you—even if they do so in the land of their captivity—confessing, ‘We have sinned, we have committed abominations, and practiced wickedness,’

³⁷ if they turn their hearts back to you in the land where they have been taken captive, repent, and pray to you—even if they do so in the land where they have been taken captive—confessing, ‘We have sinned, we have committed abominations, and practiced wickedness,’ ³⁸ if they return to you with all of their heart and with all of their soul in the land where they have been taken captive, as they pray in the direction of their land that you have given to their ancestors and to the city that you have chosen, and to the Temple that I have built for your name,

⁶ please turn your attention to observe carefully and listen to the prayer of your servant today that I am presenting to you day and night on behalf of your servants, the Israelis.
“I confess the sins that we Israelis have committed against you. Both I and my father’s house have sinned.

² The remnant of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners. Then they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. ³ While they stood there, they read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one fourth of the day, and they confessed and worshipped the LORD their God for another fourth of the day.
⁴ The Descendants of Levi’s Prayer of BlessingJeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the rostrum assigned for use by the descendants of Levi and cried out loudly to the LORD their God. ⁵ Then the descendants of Levi—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said, “Stand up and bless the LORD your God from eternity to eternity! Blessed be your glorious name! May it be exalted above all blessing and praise! ⁶ “You are the LORD; you alone crafted the heavens, the highest heavens with all of their armies; the earth, and everything in it; the seas, and everything in them; you keep giving all of them life, and the army of heaven continuously worships you. ⁷ You are the LORD, the God who chose Abram, whom you brought from Ur of the Chaldeans and to whom you gave the name Abraham. ⁸ You found him faithful in your sight; you made a covenant with him and you gave the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, and the Girgashites to his descendants. And you have kept your word, because you are righteous. ⁹ “You took note of the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt, and listened to their cry at the Red Sea. ¹⁰ You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all of his officials, and against all the people of his land, because you knew they acted arrogantly against your people. So you established your name with them, as it remains to this day. ¹¹ You divided the sea in front of them, and they traveled through the midst of the sea on dry ground. You hurled their pursuers into the depths, as one throws a stone into turbulent waters. ¹² You led them during the day by a pillar of cloud, and by a pillar of fire at night to provide light for them on the path they took. ¹³ “You also came down to Mount Sinai, spoke with them from heaven, and gave them impartial regulations, true laws, statutes, and good commands. ¹⁴ You revealed to them your holy Sabbath, and you mandated precepts, statutes, and laws through Moses your servant. ¹⁵ You gave them food from heaven for their hunger and water from the rock for their thirst. You directed them to enter and possess the land that you had promised to give them. ¹⁶ “But they—our ancestors—became arrogant and stubborn, refusing to listen to your commands. ¹⁷ They would not listen, and did not remember the miracles you did among them. Instead, they became stubborn and appointed a leader to return them to their slavery. “But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, and rich in gracious love; therefore you did not abandon them. ¹⁸ Moreover, after they had cast a golden calf for themselves, they said, “This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!” and committed terrible blasphemies. ¹⁹ You, in your great compassion, did not abandon them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud did not leave them in daylight, in order to provide light for them on the path they took. Nor did the pillar of fire abandon them at night, in order to provide light for them and lead them on the path they took. ²⁰ “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them, not withholding manna from them, and providing water to quench their thirst. ²¹ You sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years. They lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell. ²² You gave them kingdoms and nations, apportioning them as frontier boundaries. They took possession of the land of Sihon, the land of the king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan. ²³ “You multiplied their descendants like the stars in heaven and brought them to the land about which you told their ancestors to enter and possess. ²⁴ So their descendants entered and took possession of the land. Before their eyes you subdued those living in the land—the Canaanites— putting them under their control, along with their kings and the peoples of the land, so they could do with them as they pleased. ²⁵ They conquered fortified cities and fertile ground, possessing houses filled with all kinds of good things, wells already dug, with vineyards, olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate, were satiated, and were well nourished, delighting themselves in your great goodness. ²⁶ “Then they disobeyed, rebelled against you, and threw your Law behind their backs. They murdered your prophets who had admonished the people to return to you, committing terrible blasphemies. ²⁷ So you delivered them into the control of their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed, they cried out to you, and you heard from heaven. In your great compassion you gave them deliverers who rescued them from the control of their enemies. ²⁸ “But after they had gained relief, they returned to doing evil before you. Therefore you abandoned them to the control of their enemies, who continued to oppress them. But when they came back and cried out to you, you listened from heaven and delivered them in your compassion on many occasions. ²⁹ You admonished them to return to your Law, but they acted arrogantly, and would not listen to your commands. They sinned against your regulations, which if anyone obeys, he will live by them. They turned away, being stubborn and stiff-necked, and they did not listen. ³⁰ You were patient with them for many years, warning them by your Spirit through your prophets. But they would not listen, so you turned them over to the control of people in other lands. ³¹ Nevertheless, in your great compassion you did not completely destroy them or abandon them, because you are a God of grace and you are merciful. ³² “Now therefore, our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God, who keeps the covenant and gracious love, don’t let all of the difficulties seem trifling to you, all of hardships that have come upon us, upon our kings, upon our leaders, upon our priests, upon our prophets, upon our ancestors, and upon all of your people from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. ³³ You are righteous in all that is happening to us, because you have acted faithfully while we have practiced evil. ³⁴ Furthermore, neither our kings, nor our leaders, nor our priests nor our ancestors have practiced your Law or paid attention to your commands and warnings by which you admonished them. ³⁵ But they in their kingdom— in the midst of your great goodness that you gave them and in the large and fertile land that you provided them— did not serve you or turn away from their evil deeds. ³⁶ “Look! Today we are your servants, along with the land that you gave to our ancestors, so they could enjoy its fruit and its value— behold, in it we are your servants! ³⁷ But now its abundant produce belongs to the kings whom you placed over us because of our sin. They also have power over our bodies and our herds at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

²⁷ The Song of the Ransomed“He’ll sing to mankind with these words: ‘I’ve sinned. I have twisted what is right. Yet he has not repaid me like I deserve. ²⁸ He has redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit; my life will see the light.’

¹² Who can detect his own mistake? Cleanse me from hidden sin.

⁵ My sin I acknowledged to you; my iniquity I did not hide. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin! Interlude

² Wash me from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin. ³ For I acknowledge my transgression; my sin remains continuously before me. ⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done what was evil in your sight. As a result, you are just in your pronouncement and clear in your judgment. ⁵ Indeed, in iniquity I was brought forth; in sin my mother conceived me.

¹³ Whoever hides his transgressions will not succeed, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will find mercy.

²¹ Explain and present a case! Yes, let them take counsel together. Who announced this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides me, a righteous God and Savior; and there is none besides me.

⁸ I’ll cleanse them from all their sin that they have committed against me, and I’ll forgive all their sins that they committed against me and by which they rebelled against me.

²³ They are new every morning— great is your faithfulness!

²⁵ I’ll sprinkle pure water on you all, and you’ll be cleansed from your impurity and from all of your idols.”

²³ They will never again defile themselves with their idols, with other loathsome things, or with any of their sins. Instead, I will deliver them from all of the places where they have sinned, and then I’ll cleanse them. They will be my people and I will be their God.”’”

⁴ I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing and saying: ‘Lord! Great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant and gracious love for those who love him and obey his commandments, ⁵ we’ve sinned, we’ve practiced evil, we’ve acted wickedly, and we’ve rebelled, turning away from your commands and from your regulations. ⁶ Furthermore, we haven’t listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, to our officials, to our ancestors, and to all of the people of the land. ⁷ ‘To you, Lord, belongs righteousness, but to us, open humiliation—even to this day, to the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, both those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the lands to which you drove them because of their unfaithful acts that they committed against you. ⁸ ‘Open humiliation belongs to us, LORD, to our kings, our officials, and our ancestors, because we’ve sinned against you. ⁹ But to the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we’ve rebelled against him ¹⁰ and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws that he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ And all Israel flouted your Law, turning aside from it and not obeying your voice. Because we’ve sinned against him, the curse has been poured upon us, along with the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God. ¹² ‘He has confirmed his accusation that he spoke against us and against our rulers who governed us by bringing upon us great calamity, because nowhere in the universe has anything been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ As it’s written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has befallen us, but we still haven’t sought the LORD our God by turning from our lawlessness to pay attention to your truth. ¹⁴ So the LORD watched for the right time to bring the calamity upon us, because the LORD our God is righteous regarding everything he does, but we have not obeyed his voice. ¹⁵ ‘And now, Lord our God, who brought your people from the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made a name for yourself that remains to this day—we’ve sinned. We’ve acted wickedly. ¹⁶ Lord, in view of all your righteous acts, please turn your anger and wrath away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. Because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people have become an embarrassment to all of those around us. ¹⁷ ‘So now, O God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his requests, and look with favor on your desolate sanctuary, for the sake of the Lord. ¹⁸ Turn your ear and listen, O God. Open your eyes and look at our desolation and at the city that is called by your name. We’re not presenting our requests before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great compassion. ¹⁹ ‘Lord, listen!‘Lord, forgive!‘Lord, take note and take action!‘For your own sake, don’t delay, my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.’”
²⁰ Gabriel’s Answer: The Seventy Weeks“While I was still speaking in prayer, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and placing my request in the presence of the LORD my God on behalf of the holy mountain of God—

⁹ The Coming of Zion’s King“Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion; cry out, daughter of Jerusalem! Look! Your king is coming to you. He is righteous, and he is able to save. He is humble, and is riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

⁶ being baptized by him in the Jordan River while they confessed their sins.

⁵ People from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, being baptized by him while they confessed their sins.

¹⁸ Many who became believers kept coming to confess and talk about what they had been doing.

²⁶ He wanted to demonstrate at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies anyone who has the faithfulness of Jesus.

²⁶ so that he might make it holy by cleansing it, washing it with water and the word,

¹⁵ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance: To this world Messiah came, sinful people to reclaim. I am the worst of them.

¹⁴ He gave himself for us to set us free from every wrong and to cleanse us so that we could be his special people who are enthusiastic about doing good deeds.

¹⁰ For God is not so unjust as to forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have ministered to the saints and continue to minister to them.

²³ Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful.

¹¹ By faith Sarah, even though she was old and barren, received the strength to conceive, because she was convinced that the one who had made the promise was faithful.

³ They sang the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the lamb: “Your deeds are both spectacular and amazing, Lord God Almighty. Your ways are just and true, King of the nations.

²⁵ If this weren’t so, who can prove that I’m a liar by showing that there’s nothing to what I’m saying?”

³ LORD, if you were to record iniquities, Lord, who could remain standing?

¹⁶ Let the word of the Messiah inhabit you richly with wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and singing to God with thankfulness in your hearts.

¹⁴ I have written to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, because you are strong and because God’s word remains in you and you have overcome the evil one.

⁴ Little children, you belong to God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

¹⁰ The person who believes in the Son of God believes this testimony personally. The person who does not believe God has made him a liar by not believing the testimony that he has given about his Son.