2 Corinthians 4 Cross References - ISV

¹ Treasure in Clay JarsTherefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown to us, we do not get discouraged. ² Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not use trickery or pervert God’s word. By clear statements of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.
³ So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying. ⁴ In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.
⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but rather Jesus the Messiah as Lord, and ourselves as merely your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus the Messiah.
⁷ But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us. ⁸ In every way we’re troubled but not crushed, frustrated but not in despair, ⁹ persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We are always carrying around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our bodies. ¹¹ While we are alive, we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our mortal bodies. ¹² And so death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
¹³ Now since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with this Scripture: “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak. ¹⁴ We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to God together with you. ¹⁵ All this is for your sake so that, as his grace spreads, more and more people will give thanks and glorify God.
¹⁶ Life in an Earthly TentThat’s why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day. ¹⁷ This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison, ¹⁸ because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal.

³⁰ Even boys grow tired and weary, and young men collapse and fall,

²⁵ Concerning VirginsNow concerning virgins, although I do not have any command from the Lord, I will give you my opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.

⁶ who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak very boldly,

¹⁶ Life in an Earthly TentThat’s why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day.

¹⁸ All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

⁹ Let’s not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest—if we do not give up.

⁷ I have become a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given so that I might proclaim to the gentiles the immeasurable wealth of the Messiah

¹³ So then, I ask you not to become discouraged because of my troubles on your behalf, which work toward your glory.

¹³ I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

¹³ Brothers, do not get tired of doing what is right.

¹³ In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief,

³ The Father Disciplines UsThink about the one who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you may not become tired and give up.

¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

³ You have endured and suffered because of my name, yet you have not grown weary.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power for the salvation of everyone who believes, of the Jew first and of the Greek as well.

²¹ What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death.

⁵ Therefore, stop judging prematurely, before the Lord comes, for he will bring to light what is now hidden in darkness and reveal the motives of our hearts. Then each person will receive his praise from God.

¹² Paul’s Reason for BoastingFor this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God’s grace—especially toward you.

¹⁷ At least we are not commercializing God’s word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah’s name, like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God.

¹¹ The Messiah’s Love Controls UsTherefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences.

⁴ Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God’s servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities; ⁵ in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger; ⁶ with purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; with the Holy Spirit, genuine love, ⁷ truthful speech, and divine power; through the weapons of righteousness in the right and left hands;

¹⁴ For if I have been doing some boasting about you to him, I have never been ashamed of it. Moreover, since everything we told you was true, our boasting to Titus has also proved to be true.

³ However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure devotion to the Messiah.

⁶ Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way.

¹³ Such people are false apostles, dishonest workers who are masquerading as apostles of the Messiah. ¹⁴ And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their doom will match their deeds!

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, or by clever strategies that would lead us astray.

¹² For it is shameful even to mention what is done by these disobedient people in secret.

³ For our appeal to you does not spring from deceit, impure motives, or trickery. ⁴ Rather, because we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, we speak as we do, not trying to please people but God, who tests our motives.
⁵ As you know, we did not come with flattering words or with a scheme to make money. God is our witness!

²⁵ Jesus Praises the Father and Invites the Disciples to Come to Him
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from wise and intelligent people and have revealed them to infants.

¹⁶ on that day when God, through Jesus the Messiah, will judge people’s secrets according to my gospel.

¹⁸ The Messiah is God’s Power and WisdomFor the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.

¹² Paul’s Anxiety and ReliefWhen I went to Troas on behalf of the gospel of the Messiah, the Lord opened a door for me,

¹⁵ To God we are the aroma of the Messiah among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost. ¹⁶ To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a living fragrance. Who is qualified for this?

¹⁴ However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with the Messiah is that veil removed.

⁴ In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.

⁵ for the gospel we brought did not come to you in words only, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. Indeed, you know what kind of people we proved to be while we were with you, acting on your behalf.

⁹ The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous signs, lying wonders, ¹⁰ and every type of evil to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. ¹¹ For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.

¹¹ that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

²² “And the LORD asked him, ‘How?’
“‘I will go,’ he announced, ‘and I will be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets!’
“So the LORD said, ‘You’re just the one to deceive him. You will be successful. Go and do it.’

² From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined forth.

¹⁰ Dull the mind of this people, deafen their ears, and blind their eyes. By doing so, they won’t see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be healed.”

¹ The Light of God’s Deliverance “Arise, shine! For your light has come; the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. ² For look! Darkness will cover the earth and thick darkness is over the people, but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

⁸ Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, along with their splendor. ⁹ He told Jesus, “I will give you all these things if you will bow down and worship me!”

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.

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

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.”

³¹ Now is the time for the judgment of this world to begin. Now the ruler of this world will be thrown out.

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.

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not perceive with their eyes, and understand with their mind and turn, and I would heal them.”

⁴⁵ The one who sees me sees the one who sent me.

⁹ “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?” Jesus asked him. “The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ You believe, don’t you, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I don’t speak on my own. It is the Father who dwells in me and who carries out his work.

³⁰ I won’t talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me.

²⁴ If I hadn’t done among them the actions that no one else did, they wouldn’t have any sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

¹¹ and of judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

¹⁸ You will help them understand and turn them from darkness to light and from Satan’s control to God, so that their sins will be forgiven and they will receive a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

²⁰ Hardly! What they offer, they offer to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons.

⁸ will not the Spirit’s ministry have even more glory? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, then the ministry of justification has an overwhelming glory.

¹¹ For if that which fades away came through glory, how much more does that which is permanent have glory?

¹⁸ As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit.

⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus the Messiah.

² that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient.

¹² For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against rulers, authorities, cosmic powers in the darkness around us, and evil spiritual forces in the heavenly realm.

⁶ In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping.

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

²⁷ to whom God wanted to make known the glorious riches of this secret among the gentiles—which is the Messiah in you, our glorious hope.

¹³ as we wait for the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.

³ He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of his being, and he holds everything together by his powerful word. After he had provided a cleansing from sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Highest Majesty

¹⁹ Therefore we regard the message of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp that is shining in a gloomy place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

⁸ On the other hand, I am writing to you a new commandment that is truly in him and in you. For the darkness is fading away, and the true light is already shining.

¹⁹ We know that we are from God and that the whole world lies under the control of the evil one.

² He captured the dragon, that ancient serpent, also known as the devil and Satan, and tied him up for a thousand years. ³ He threw him into the bottomless pit, locked it, and sealed it over him to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were over. After that, he must be set free for a little while.

¹¹ I am baptizing you with water as evidence of repentance, but the one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

²⁵ But Jesus called the disciples and said, “You know that the rulers of the unbelievers lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ²⁶ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.

⁸ “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ because you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers.

²⁵ But he told them, “The kings of the unbelievers lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. ²⁶ But you are not to do so. On the contrary, the greatest among you should become like the youngest, and the one who leads should become like the one who serves.

²¹ So they asked him, “Well then, are you Elijah?”
John said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
²² “Who are you?” they asked him. “We must give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
²³ He replied, “I am ‘…a voice crying out in the wilderness, “Prepare the Lord’s highway,”’as the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁷ John replied, “No one can receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ 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. ³⁰ He must become more important, but I must become less important.”
³¹ The One who Comes from AboveThe one who comes from above is superior to everything. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is superior to everything.

¹⁸ The one who speaks on his own seeks his own praise. But the one who seeks the praise of him who sent him is genuine, and there’s nothing false in him.

¹⁴ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you must also wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I’ve set an example for you, so that you may do as I have done to you.

³⁶ “Therefore, let all the people of Israel understand beyond a doubt that God made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah!”

¹² When Peter saw this, he told the people: “Fellow Israelis, why are you wondering about this, and why are you staring at us as if by our own power or godliness we made him walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of our ancestors—has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you betrayed and rejected in the presence of Pilate, even though he had decided to let him go.

³¹ God has exalted to his right hand this very man as our Leader and Savior in order to extend repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.

⁹ Now in that city there was a man named Simon. He was practicing occult arts and thrilling the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. ¹⁰ Everyone from the least to the greatest paid close attention to him, saying, “This is what we call the great power of God!”

²⁵ When Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him, bowed down at his feet, and began to worship him. ²⁶ But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up! I, too, am only a man.”

³⁶ He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus the Messiah. This man is the Lord of everyone.

¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” ¹² They began to call Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermes, because he was the main speaker. ¹³ The priest of the temple of Zeus, which was just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the gates. He and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifices.
¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings with natures like yours. We are telling you the good news so you’ll turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.

⁸ If we live, we live to honor the Lord; and if we die, we die to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this reason the Messiah died and returned to life, so that he might become the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹ Please Others, Not YourselvesNow we who are strong ought to be patient with the weaknesses of those who are not strong and must stop pleasing ourselves. ² Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building him up.

¹⁷ Therefore, in the Messiah Jesus I have the right to boast about my work for God. ¹⁸ For I am bold enough to tell you only about what the Messiah has accomplished through me in bringing gentiles to obedience. By my words and actions,

¹³ Is the Messiah divided? Paul wasn’t crucified for you, was he? You weren’t baptized in Paul’s name, were you? ¹⁴ I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

²³ but we preach the Messiah crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles,

² For while I was with you I resolved to know nothing except Jesus the Messiah, and him crucified.

⁵ Who is Apollos, anyhow? Or who is Paul? They’re merely servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave to each of us his task. ⁶ I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept everything growing.

⁶ yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything came into being and for whom we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus the Messiah, through whom everything came into being and through whom we live.

¹⁹ Although I am free from everyone’s expectations, I have made myself a servant to all of them to win more people. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew in order to win Jews. To those under the Law I became like a man under the Law, in order to win those under the Law (although I myself am not under the Law). ²¹ To those who do not have the Law, I became like a man who does not have the Law in order to win those who do not have the Law. However, I am not free from God’s Law, but I’m subject to the Messiah’s law. ²² To the weak I became weak in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some of them. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel in order to have a share in its blessings.

³³ just as I myself try to please everybody in every way. I don’t look out for my own benefit, but rather for the benefit of many people, so that they might be saved.

³ For this reason I want you to be aware that no one who is speaking by God’s Spirit can say, “Jesus is cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

⁴⁷ The first man came from the dust of the earth; the second man came from heaven.

¹⁹ For God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No.” But with him it is always “Yes.”

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.

¹⁴ The love of the Messiah controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. ¹⁵ He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

¹³ For you, brothers, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another.

¹⁵ Some are preaching the Messiah because of jealousy and dissension, while others do so because of their good will.

¹¹ Then every tongue in one accord, will say that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, while God the Father praising.

⁵ As you know, we did not come with flattering words or with a scheme to make money. God is our witness! ⁶ We did not seek praise from people—from you or from anyone else—

¹⁰ For that reason, I endure everything for the sake of those who have been chosen so that they, too, may receive the salvation that is in the Messiah Jesus, along with eternal glory.

¹¹ They must be silenced, because they are the kind of people who ruin whole families by teaching what they should not teach in order to make money in a shameful way.

² Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over it, not because you must but because you want to, and not greedily but eagerly, as God desires. ³ Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock. ⁴ Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the victor’s crown of glory that will never fade away.
⁵ Be Humble and AlertIn a similar way, you young people must submit to the elders. All of you must clothe yourselves with humility for the sake of each other, because: “God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble.”

³ In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. The ancient verdict against them is still in force, and their destruction is not delayed.

³ God said, “Let there be light!” So there was light.

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights across the sky to distinguish day from night, to act as signs for seasons, days, and years, ¹⁵ to serve as lights in the sky, and to shine on the earth!” And that is what happened:

¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”
¹⁹ God said, “I’ll cause all my goodness to pass before you, and I’ll proclaim the name ‘the LORD’ before you. I’ll be gracious to whom I’ll be gracious, and I’ll show compassion on whom I’ll show compassion. ²⁰ But,” he said, “You cannot see my face, because a man cannot see me and live.”
²¹ The LORD said, “Look, there is a place near me where you can stand on the rock; ²² and as my glory passes by, I’ll put you in a crevice in the rock, and cover you with my hand until I’ve passed by. ²³ Then I’ll remove my hand so you may see my back, but my face must not be seen.”

⁵ The LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed the name of the LORD. ⁶ The LORD passed in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and filled with gracious love and truth. ⁷ He graciously loves thousands, and forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. But he does not leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of the ancestors on their children, and on their children’s children to the third and fourth generation.”

² So I have looked for you in the sanctuary, to behold your power and glory.

¹⁶ Yours is the day, and yours is the night; you established the moon and the sun.

¹⁶ May your awesome deeds be revealed to your servants, as well as your splendor to their children.

⁷ to the one who made the great lights, for his gracious love is everlasting— ⁸ the sun to illumine the day, for his gracious love is everlasting— ⁹ and the moon and stars to illumine the night, for his gracious love is everlasting—

¹ Holy is the LORDIn the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon his throne, high and exalted. The train of his robe filled the Temple. ² The seraphim stood above him. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he was flying. ³ They kept on calling to each other: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of the Heavenly Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!”

² it will burst into bloom, and rejoice with gladness and shouts of joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

⁵ Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all humanity will see it at once; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

⁷ God is Sovereign“I form light and create darkness, I make goodness and create disaster. I am the LORD, who does all these things.

² For look! Darkness will cover the earth and thick darkness is over the people, but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you.

²² All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and the person to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

⁴⁰ Jesus told her, “I told you that if you believed you would see God’s glory, didn’t I?”

⁴¹ Isaiah said this when he saw his glory and spoke about him.

⁵⁵ But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ He said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, the most glorious Father, would give you a wise spirit, along with revelation that comes through knowing the Messiah fully.

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

¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things that even the angels desire to look into.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people to be his very own and to proclaim the wonderful deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

² The LORD told Gideon, “You have too many soldiers with you for me to drop Midian into their hands, because Israel would become arrogant and say, ‘It was my own abilities that delivered me.’

¹³ Gideon arrived just as a soldier was talking to a friend about a dream. “Look!” he was saying. “I had a dream that went like this: A loaf of barley bread rolled into the Midianite encampment, came to a tent, and collided with it. The loaf of bread fell down, turned upside down, and the tent collapsed!”
¹⁴ Then his friend replied, “Can this be anything else than the sword of Joash’s son Gideon, that man from Israel? God must have given Midian and the entire encampment into his control!”

¹⁶ Then he separated the 300 men into three companies, gave them each trumpets to carry, along with jars into which he placed lit torches.
¹⁷ He instructed them, “Watch me, and do what I do. When we come to the outer perimeter of the encampment, do what I do. ¹⁸ When I sound my trumpet, accompanied by everyone who is with me, you must blow your trumpets all around the entire encampment. Then shout out, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
¹⁹ So Gideon and the 100 men with him arrived at the outer perimeter of the encampment at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had posted sentries. They blew their trumpets and smashed the jars that they were carrying in their hands. ²⁰ When the three companies sounded their trumpets and broke the jars, they held the torches in their left hands and sounded their trumpets with their right hands. Then they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”

¹⁹ how much less confidence does he have in those who dwell in houses of clay; who were formed from a foundation in dust and can perish like a moth?

⁹ “‘Please remember that you’ve made me like clay and you’ll return me to dust.

² Though the precious people of Zion were like fine gold, how they are valued like clay vessels, the handiwork of a potter!

⁴⁴ The Parable about a Hidden Treasure“The kingdom from heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field.”

⁵² Then he told them, “That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest.”

²⁸ And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something,

³ It was in weakness, fear, and great trembling that I came to you. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not accompanied by clever, wise words, but by a display of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith would not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.

⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display in last place, like men condemned to death. We have become a spectacle for the world, for angels, and for people to stare at. ¹⁰ We are fools for the Messiah’s sake, but you are wise in the Messiah. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored. ¹¹ We are hungry, thirsty, dressed in rags, brutally treated, and homeless, right up to the present. ¹² We wear ourselves out from working with our own hands. When insulted, we bless. When persecuted, we endure. ¹³ When slandered, we answer with kind words. Even now we have become the filth of the world, the scum of the universe.

⁵ By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God, ⁶ who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

¹ Treasure in Clay JarsTherefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown to us, we do not get discouraged.

¹ We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human hands.

¹⁰ as sorrowful and yet always rejoicing, as poor and yet enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

¹⁰ For someone is saying, “His letters are impressive and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.”

⁷ To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations, a thorn was given to me and placed in my body. It was Satan’s messenger to keep on tormenting me so that I would not become conceited.
⁸ I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me, ⁹ but he has told me, “My grace is all you need, because my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most happily boast about my weaknesses, so that the Messiah’s power may rest on me.

⁴ Though he was crucified in weakness, he lives by God’s power. We are weak with him, but by God’s power we will live for you.

¹³ You know that it was because I was ill that I brought you the gospel the first time. ¹⁴ Even though my condition put you to the test, you did not despise or reject me. On the contrary, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, or as if I were the Messiah Jesus.

¹⁹ and the unlimited greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰ which he brought about in the Messiah when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realm.

⁵ even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with the Messiah (by grace you have been saved),

⁸ For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God ⁹ and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting.

⁸ To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given so that I might proclaim to the gentiles the immeasurable wealth of the Messiah

³ In him are stored all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

¹² When you were buried with the Messiah in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

²⁰ In a large house there are not only utensils made of gold and silver, but also those made of wood and clay. Some are for special use, while others are for ordinary use.

¹⁵ Samuel’s Message to SaulSamuel told Saul, “Why did you disturb me by bringing me up?”
Saul said, “I’m in great distress. The Philistines are waging war against me. God has departed from me and won’t answer me anymore, either by messages written by the hand of the prophets or by dreams. So I’ve summoned you to tell me what I should do.”

⁶ David was in great danger because all the people were bitter because of their sons and daughters, and they were talking about stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God.

⁴ Saul told his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised people will come and run me through and make sport of me.” But his armor bearer did not want to do it because he was very frightened, so Saul took the sword and fell on it.

⁹ Job Refuses to Curse GodThen his wife told him, “Do you remain firm in your integrity? Curse God and die!”
¹⁰ But he replied to her, “You’re talking like foolish women do. Are we to accept what is good from God but not tragedy?”
Throughout all of this, Job did not sin by what he said.

³³ but the LORD will not let him fall into his hands. He will not be condemned when he is put on trial.

² Those who watch me all day have harassed me, for there are many who fight against me out of conceit. ³ On days when I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

²⁶ Rock-solid security is found in the fear of the LORD, and within it one’s children find refuge.

¹⁰ The name of the LORD is a strong tower; a righteous person rushes to it and is lifted up above the danger.

¹⁸ I’m not going to forsake you like orphans. I will come back to you.

³ Not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces character, and character produces hope. ⁵ Now this hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

³⁵ Who will separate us from the Messiah’s love? Can trouble, distress, persecution, hunger, nakedness, danger, or a violent death do this? ³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are thought of as sheep headed for slaughter.”
³⁷ In all these things we are triumphantly victorious due to the one who loved us.

¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is unusual for human beings. But God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength. Instead, along with the temptation he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to endure it.

⁸ How God Rescued PaulFor we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living. ⁹ In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again,

¹⁶ Life in an Earthly TentThat’s why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day. ¹⁷ This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison,

⁴ Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God’s servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities;

⁵ For even when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. We suffered in a number of ways. Outwardly there were conflicts, inwardly there were fears.

²³ Are they the Messiah’s servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night. ²⁶ I have traveled extensively and have been endangered from rivers, robbers, my own people, and gentiles. I’ve also been in danger in the city, in the open country, at sea, from false brothers, ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger, thirst, many periods of fasting, coldness, and nakedness. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I have a daily burden because of my anxiety about all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak without me being weak, too? Who is caused to stumble without me becoming indignant?
³⁰ If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show how weak I am.

¹⁰ That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for the Messiah’s sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

² Responding Wisely to LifeConsider it pure joy, my brothers, when you are involved in various trials, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ But you must let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

⁶ You greatly rejoice in this, even though you have to suffer various kinds of trials for a little while, ⁷ so that your genuine faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus, the Messiah, is revealed.

¹² Suffering as a ChristianDear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, because you are participating in the sufferings of the Messiah, keep on rejoicing, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted because of the name of the Messiah, you are blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God is resting on you.

¹⁷ “Indeed, how blessed is the person whom God reproves! So never disrespect the discipline of the Almighty, ¹⁸ because though he wounds, but then applies bandages; though he strikes, his hands still heal. ¹⁹ “He will deliver you through six calamities; and calamity won’t touch you throughout the seventh.

²⁹ “For when they’re humbled, you may respond; ‘It’s their pride!’ but he delivers the humble.

¹⁰ Those who know your name will trust you, for you have not forsaken those who seek you, LORD.

¹ To the Director: To the tune of “Doe of the Dawn”.
A Davidic Psalm.
God Delivers His Suffering Servant My God! My God! Why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from delivering me— from my groaning words?

²⁴ Though he stumbles, he will not fall down flat, for the LORD will hold up his hand. ²⁵ I once was young and now I am old, but I have not seen a righteous person forsaken or his descendants begging for bread.

²⁸ Indeed, the LORD loves justice, and he will not abandon his godly ones. They are kept safe forever, but the lawless will be chased away, and the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.

⁵ Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for once again I will praise him, since his presence saves me.

¹¹ Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for once again I will praise him, since his presence saves me and he is my God.

¹⁶ for though a righteous man falls seven times, he will rise again, but the wicked stumble into calamity.

² When you pass through the waters, I’ll be with you; and through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. when you walk through fire you won’t be scorched, and the flame won’t set you ablaze.

⁴ And you’ll no longer be called ‘Deserted,’ and your land will no longer be called ‘Desolate’; but people will call you ‘Hephzibah,’ and your land ‘Beulah’— for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married.”

⁸ Don’t be glad on my account, my enemy. When I fall, I’ll get up. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD is a light for me.

²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.

⁶ Yet God, who comforts those who feel miserable, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for God has said, “I will never leave you or abandon you.”

¹⁹ “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also.

⁹ One night, the Lord told Paul in a vision, “Stop being afraid to speak out! Don’t remain silent! ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you or harm you, because I have many people in this city.”

⁵ For if we have become united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.

⁸ Now if we have died with the Messiah, we believe that we will also live with him,

¹⁷ Now if we are children, we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with the Messiah—if, in fact, we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
¹⁸ God’s Spirit Helps UsFor I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.

³⁶ As it is written, “For your sake we are being put to death all day long. We are thought of as sheep headed for slaughter.”

⁵ For as the Messiah’s sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah.

⁹ In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

¹⁷ Let no one make any more trouble for me, because I carry the scars of Jesus on my own body.

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, ¹¹ though I hope to experience the resurrection from the dead.

²⁴ Paul’s Service in the ChurchNow I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah’s sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church.

¹¹ This saying is trustworthy: In dying with the Messiah, true life we gain.

¹³ Instead, because you are participating in the sufferings of the Messiah, keep on rejoicing, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.

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,

²² For your sake we are being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep to be slaughtered.

⁷ Just as one plows and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered near the entrance to the place of the dead.

¹¹ And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then the one who raised the Messiah from the dead will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you.

³¹ I face death every day! That is as certain, brothers, as it is that I am proud of you in the Messiah, Jesus our Lord.

⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will also bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

⁵³ For what is decaying must be clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying must be clothed with what cannot die. ⁵⁴ Now, when what is decaying is clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying is clothed with what cannot die, then the written word will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up by victory!”

⁴ So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life.

²⁴ But I don’t place any value on my life, if only I can finish my race and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

¹⁰ We are fools for the Messiah’s sake, but you are wise in the Messiah. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored.

¹⁵ I will be very glad to spend my money and myself for you. Do you love me less because I love you so much?

⁹ We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. That is what we are praying for—your maturity.

¹⁷ Yet even if I am being poured out like an offering as part of the sacrifice and service I offer for your faith, I rejoice, and I share my joy with all of you.

³⁰ because he came close to death for the work of the Messiah by risking his life to complete what remained unfinished in your service to me.

¹⁶ This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers.

¹⁰ I will continue to believe, even when I say, “I am greatly afflicted”

²⁸ A false witness will perish, but whoever listens will testify successfully.

¹¹ We certainly believe that it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit;

¹ The Meaning of FaithNow faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists. ² By faith our ancestors won approval.
³ By faith we understand that time was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are invisible.
⁴ By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, and by faith he was declared to be righteous, since God himself accepted his offerings. And by faith he continues to speak, even though he is dead.
⁵ By faith Enoch was taken away without experiencing death. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he won approval as one who pleased God. ⁶ Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.
⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, reverently prepared an ark to save his family, and by faith he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes by faith.
⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who also inherited the same promise, ¹⁰ because he was waiting for the city with permanent foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
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. ¹² Abraham was as good as dead, yet from this one man came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
¹³ All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth. ¹⁴ For people who say such things make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking about what they had left behind, they would have had an opportunity to go back. ¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country, that is, a heavenly one. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them.
¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac—he who had received the promises was about to offer his unique son in sacrifice, ¹⁸ about whom it had been said, “It is through Isaac that descendants will be named for you.” ¹⁹ Abraham was certain that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did get Isaac back in this way.
²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
²¹ By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons “and worshipped while leaning on the top of his staff.”
²² By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelis and gave them instructions about burying his bones.
²³ By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after he was born, because they saw that he was a beautiful child and were not afraid of the king’s order.
²⁴ By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵ because he preferred being mistreated with God’s people to enjoying the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶ He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, without being afraid of the king’s anger, and he persevered because he saw the one who is invisible.
²⁸ By faith he established the Passover and the sprinkling of blood to keep the destroyer of the firstborn from touching the people.
²⁹ By faith they went through the Red Sea as if it were dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do this, they were drowned.
³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.
³¹ By faith Rahab the prostitute did not die with those who were disobedient, because she had welcomed the spies with a greeting of peace.
³² And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. ³³ Through faith they conquered kingdoms, administered justice, received promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ put out raging fires, escaped death by the sword, found strength in weakness, became powerful in battle, and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received their dead raised back to life. Other people were brutally tortured, but refused to be ransomed, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others endured taunts and floggings, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned to death, sawed in half, and killed with swords. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins. They were needy, oppressed, and mistreated. ³⁸ The world wasn’t worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and from caves to holes in the ground.
³⁹ All these people won approval for their faith but they did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us, so that they would not be perfected without us.

¹ GreetingsFrom: Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus, the Messiah.
To: Those who have received faith that is as valuable as ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus the Messiah.

¹⁹ The Resurrection of the Dead“But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. Those who live in the dust will wake up and shout for joy! For your dew is like the dew of dawn, and the earth will give birth to the dead.

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?”

²⁴ But God raised him up and put an end to suffering of death, since it was impossible for him to be held by it,

¹⁴ God raised the Lord, and by his power he will also raise us.

²⁰ But at this moment the Messiah stands risen from the dead, the first one offered in the harvest of those who have died. ²¹ For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in the Messiah will all be made alive.

¹ We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human hands. ² For in this one we sigh, since we long to put on our heavenly dwelling. ³ Of course, if we do put it on, we will not be found without a body. ⁴ So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life.

² I am jealous of you with God’s own jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Messiah.

²⁷ and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault.

²² he has now reconciled by the death of his physical body, so that he may present you holy, blameless, and without fault before him.

²⁸ It is he whom we proclaim as we admonish and wisely teach everyone, so that we may present everyone mature in the Messiah.

¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus God will bring those who have died with him.

²⁴ Final PrayerNow to the one who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence,

¹⁴ Offer to God a thanksgiving praise; pay your vows to the Most High.

²³ Whoever offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and I will reveal the salvation of God to whomever continues in my way.”

²⁸ And we know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to his purpose, all things are working together for good.

²¹ So let no one boast about human beings, since everything belongs to you, ²² whether Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, the present, or the future—everything belongs to you, ²³ but you belong to the Messiah, and the Messiah belongs to God.

⁴ who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God. ⁵ For as the Messiah’s sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah. ⁶ If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering.

¹¹ as you also help us by your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many.

¹⁹ More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.

¹¹ In every way you will grow richer and become even more generous, and this will cause others to give thanks to God because of us, ¹² since this ministry you render is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, it is also overflowing with more and more prayers of thanksgiving to God.

²⁴ So they kept glorifying God for what had happened to me.

²⁰ Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among us— ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in the Messiah Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen.

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. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁵ Therefore, through him let us always bring God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess his name. ¹⁶ Do not neglect to do good and to be generous, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

¹¹ Whoever speaks must speak God’s words. Whoever serves must serve with the strength that God supplies, so that in every way God may be glorified through Jesus, the Messiah. Glory and power belong to him forever and ever! Amen.

⁸ Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were full of eyes inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming.” ⁹ Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the 24 elders bow down and worship in front of the one who sits on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever. They throw their victor’s crowns in front of the throne and say, ¹¹ “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power, because you created all things; they came into existence and were created because of your will.”

⁸ When the lamb had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders bowed down in front of him. Each held a harp and a gold bowl full of incense, the prayers of the saints. ⁹ They sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slaughtered. With your blood you purchased people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation. ¹⁰ You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on the earth.”
¹¹ The Vision of the Song of the LambThen I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels, the living creatures, and the elders surrounding the throne. They numbered 10,000’s times 10,000 and thousands times thousands. ¹² They sang with a loud voice, “Worthy is the lamb who was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise!” ¹³ I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, and on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying, “To the one who sits on the throne and to the lamb be praise, honor, glory, and power forever and ever!” ¹⁴ Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!”, and the elders bowed down and worshipped.

⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures bowed down and worshipped God, who was sitting on the throne. They said, “Amen! Hallelujah!” ⁵ A voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all who serve and fear him, from the least important to the most important.”
⁶ The Vision of the Marriage Supper of the LambThen I heard what sounded like the voice of a large crowd, like the sound of raging waters, and like the sound of powerful thunderclaps, saying, “Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, is reigning.

²⁶ Even after my skin has been destroyed, clothed in my flesh I will see God, ²⁷ whom I will see for myself. My own eyes will look at him— there won’t be anyone else for me!— He is the culmination of my innermost desire.”

¹³ I believe that I will see the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living.

¹⁰ God, create a pure heart in me, and renew a right attitude within me.

²⁶ My body and mind may fail, but God is my strength and my portion forever.

⁸¹ Kaf
On Obeying God’s WordI long for your deliverance; I have looked to your word, placing my hope in it.

²⁹ He’s the one who gives might to the faint, renewing strength for the powerless.

³¹ but those who keep waiting for the LORD will renew their strength. Then they’ll soar on wings like eagles; they’ll run and not grow weary; they’ll walk and not grow tired.”

¹ Israel’s Idolatry “Also the righteous are perishing, but no one takes it to heart; devout people are taken away, while no one understands that the righteous person is taken away from calamity. ² Then he enters into peace, and they’ll rest on his couches, each one living righteously.

²⁹ So if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you. It is better for you to lose one of your body parts than to have your whole body go into hell.”

³ Keep giving us every day our daily bread,

²² For I delight in the Law of God in my inner being,

² Do not be conformed to this world, but continuously be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God’s will is—what is proper, pleasing, and perfect.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, unmovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that the work that you do for the Lord isn’t wasted.

¹⁶ I pray that he would give you, according to his glorious riches, strength in your inner being and power through his Spirit,

²³ to be renewed in your mental attitude,

¹⁰ and have clothed yourselves with the new nature, which is being renewed in full knowledge, consistent with the image of the one who created it.

⁵ ‘Twas not for deeds that we had done, but by his steadfast love alone, he saved us through a second birth, renewed us by the Spirit’s work,

⁴ Instead, it should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which God values greatly.

¹ The Abrahamic CovenantSome time later, a message came from the LORD to Abram in a vision: “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield. Your reward will be very great.”

⁵ For his wrath is only momentary; yet his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may lodge for the night, but shouts of joy will come in the morning.

¹⁹ How great is your goodness that you have reserved for those who fear you, that you have set in place for those who take refuge in you, in the presence of the children of men.

²⁴ You will guide me with your wise advice, and later you will receive me with honor.

⁶⁷ Before I was humbled, I wandered away, but now I observe your words.

⁷¹ It was for my good that I was humbled; so that I would learn your statutes.

⁸ I hid my face from you for a moment in a surge of anger, but I will have compassion on you with my everlasting gracious love,” says the LORD your Redeemer.

⁴ Since ancient times no one has heard, and no ear has perceived, and no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

¹² Rejoice and be extremely glad, because your reward in heaven is great! That’s how they persecuted the prophets who came before you.”

²³ Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because your reward in heaven is great! That’s the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.

²³ except that in town after town the Holy Spirit assures me that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me.

⁷ eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing good;

¹⁸ God’s Spirit Helps UsFor I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed to us.

³⁴ Who is the one to condemn? It is the Messiah Jesus who is interceding on our behalf. He died, and more importantly, has been raised and is seated at the right hand of God.

³⁷ In all these things we are triumphantly victorious due to the one who loved us.

⁹ But as it is written, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him.”

²³ Are they the Messiah’s servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night. ²⁶ I have traveled extensively and have been endangered from rivers, robbers, my own people, and gentiles. I’ve also been in danger in the city, in the open country, at sea, from false brothers, ²⁷ in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, through hunger, thirst, many periods of fasting, coldness, and nakedness. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I have a daily burden because of my anxiety about all the churches.

¹⁹ I know that this will result in my deliverance through your prayers and the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus the Messiah.

⁴ As a result, we rejoice about you among God’s churches—about your endurance and faith through all the persecutions and afflictions you are experiencing.

⁶ Certainly it is right for God to pay back those who afflict you with affliction,

¹⁰ For a short time they disciplined us as they thought best, but God does it for our good, so that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.

¹² Trial and TemptationHow blessed is the man who endures temptation! When he has passed the test, he will receive the victor’s crown of life that God has promised to those who keep on loving him.

⁶ You greatly rejoice in this, even though you have to suffer various kinds of trials for a little while, ⁷ so that your genuine faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus, the Messiah, is revealed.
⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,

⁷ Because everything will soon come to an end, be sensible and clear-headed, so you can pray.

¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you by the Messiah Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, establish you, strengthen you, and support you.

² Dear friends, we are now God’s children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is.

²⁵ “As to the fat from the burnt offering, he is to incinerate it on the altar. ²⁶ The one who sent away the male goat as a scapegoat is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water. After doing so, he may enter the camp.

⁴⁶ These people will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

²⁴ For we were saved with this hope in mind. Now a hope that can be observed is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet observe, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus, the Messiah himself, and may God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,

¹ The Meaning of FaithNow faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.

¹³ All these people died having faith. They did not receive the things that were promised, yet they saw them in the distant future and welcomed them, acknowledging that they were strangers and foreigners on earth.

²⁵ because he preferred being mistreated with God’s people to enjoying the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶ He thought that being insulted for the sake of the Messiah was of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
²⁷ By faith he left Egypt, without being afraid of the king’s anger, and he persevered because he saw the one who is invisible.

² fixing our attention on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of the faith, who, in view of the joy set before him, endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³ The Father Disciplines UsThink about the one who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you may not become tired and give up.

¹⁶ For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world and its desires are fading away, but the person who does God’s will remains forever.

²⁵ The message that the Son himself declared to us is eternal life.