Mark 10 Cross References - ISV

¹ Teaching about Divorce
Then Jesus left that place and went into the territory of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. Crowds gathered around him as usual, and he began to teach them again as was his custom. ² Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”
³ “What did Moses command you?” he responded.
⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to divorce her.”
⁵ But Jesus told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that he wrote this command for you. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁷ That’s why ‘a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’ So they’re no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”
¹⁰ Back in the house, the disciples asked him about this again. ¹¹ So he told them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. ¹² And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
¹³ Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Some people were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he became furious and told them, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these. ¹⁵ I tell all of you with certainty, whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then after he had hugged the children, he tenderly blessed them as he laid his hands on them.
¹⁷ A Rich Man Comes to Jesus
As Jesus was setting out again, a man ran up to him, knelt down in front of him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Nobody is good except for one—God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Never murder.’ ‘Never commit adultery.’ ‘Never steal.’ ‘Never give false testimony.’ ‘Never cheat.’ ‘Honor your father and mother.’”
²⁰ The man replied to him, “Teacher, I have obeyed all of these since I was a young man.”
²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. Then he told him, “You’re missing one thing. Go and sell everything you own, give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” ²² Shocked at this statement, the man went away sad, because he had many possessions.
²³ Salvation and Reward
Then Jesus looked around and told his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ The disciples were startled by these words, but Jesus told them again, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in their wealth to get into the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
²⁶ The disciples were utterly amazed and asked one another, “Then who can be saved?”
²⁷ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans it’s impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
²⁸ Then Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ Jesus said, “I tell all of you with certainty, there is no one who has left his home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or fields because of me and the gospel ³⁰ who will not receive a hundred times as much here in this world—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and fields, along with persecution—as well as eternal life in the age to come. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
³² Now Jesus and his disciples had been on the road going up to Jerusalem, with Jesus walking ahead of them. They were astonished, and the others who followed were afraid.
Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
Once again, Jesus took the Twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to him. ³³ “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and the scribes, and they’ll condemn him to death. Then they’ll hand him over to the unbelievers, ³⁴ and they’ll make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him. But after three days he’ll be raised.”
³⁵ The Request of James and John
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus and told him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.”
³⁶ He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?”
³⁷ They asked him, “Let us sit in your glory, one on your right and one on your left.”
³⁸ But Jesus told them, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from or be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized?”
³⁹ They told him, “We can.”
Jesus told them, “You will drink from the cup that I’m going to drink and be baptized with the baptism with which I’m going to be baptized. ⁴⁰ But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right or my left. Those positions have already been prepared for others.”
⁴¹ When the ten other disciples heard this, they began to be furious with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called his disciples and told them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers among the unbelievers lord it over them, and their superiors act like tyrants over them. ⁴³ That’s not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to everyone, ⁴⁵ because even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”
⁴⁶ Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus, his disciples, and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (that is, the son of Timaeus) was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was there, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸ Many people sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
⁴⁹ So Jesus stopped and said, “Call him!”
So they called the blind man and told him, “Have courage! Get up. He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ He threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.
⁵¹ Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man told him, “Rabbouni, I want to see again.”
⁵² Jesus told him, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” At once the man could see again, and he began to follow Jesus down the road.

⁹ ConclusionsMoreover, besides being wise himself, the Teacher taught people what he had learned by listening, making inquiries, and composing many proverbs.

³³ They have turned their backs to me rather than their faces. Even though I taught them, teaching them again and again, they didn’t listen to accept correction.

²³ Jesus Ministers to Many People
Then he went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people.

¹ Teaching about Divorce
When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. ² Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
³ Some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”
⁴ He answered them, “Haven’t you read that the one who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’ ⁵ and said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”
⁷ They asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order us ‘to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her’?”
⁸ He told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way. ⁹ I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
¹⁰ His disciples asked him, “If that is the relationship of a man with his wife, it’s not worth getting married!”
¹¹ “Not everyone can accept this saying,” he replied, “except those to whom celibacy has been granted, ¹² because some men are celibate from birth, while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”

¹³ Jesus Calls Matthew
Jesus went out again beside the sea. The whole crowd kept coming to him, and he kept teaching them.

² He began teaching them many things in parables. While he was teaching them he said,

⁶ He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around to the villages and continued teaching.

³⁴ When he got out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.

⁴⁰ Then he went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing at first, and he remained there.

⁷ After this, he told the disciples, “Let’s go back to Judea.”

²⁰ Jesus answered him, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in the synagogue or in the Temple, where all Jews meet together, and I have said nothing in secret.

¹⁶ “Indeed, the LORD God of Israel says that he hates divorce, along with the one who conceals his violence by outward appearances,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “So guard yourselves carefully, and don’t be unfaithful.”

³¹ Teaching about Divorce
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.’ ³² But I say to you, any man who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

³⁴ But the Pharisees kept saying, “He drives out demons by the ruler of demons.”

¹² Then the disciples came and asked him, “Do you realize that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?”

¹ Interpreting the Time
When the Pharisees and Sadducees arrived, in order to test Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

³ Some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?”

³⁵ One of them, an expert in the Law, tested him by asking,

¹³ “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom from heaven in people’s faces. You don’t go in yourselves, and you don’t allow those who are trying to enter to go in.

¹¹ Interpreting the Time
The Pharisees arrived and began arguing with Jesus. They tested him by demanding from him a sign from heaven.

¹⁵ Jesus had been warning them, “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”

³⁰ The Pharisees and their scribes started complaining to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”

⁷ The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Jesus closely to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, in order to find a way of accusing him of doing something wrong.

³⁰ But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God’s plan for themselves by refusing to be baptized by John.

³⁹ But the Lord told him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but on the inside you are full of greed and evil.

⁵³ As Jesus was leaving, the scribes and the Pharisees began to oppose him fiercely, interrogating him about many things. ⁵⁴ They watched him closely in an effort to trap him in something he might say.

¹⁴ The Law and the Kingdom of God
Now the Pharisees, who love money, had been listening to all this and began to ridicule Jesus.

³² Officers are Sent to Arrest JesusThe Pharisees heard the crowd debating these things about him, so the high priests and the Pharisees sent officers to arrest Jesus.

⁴⁸ None of the authorities or Pharisees has believed in him, have they?

⁶ They said this to test him, so that they might have a charge against him. But Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger.

⁴⁷ So the high priests and the Pharisees assembled the Council and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs.

⁵⁷ Now the high priests and the Pharisees had given orders that whoever knew where he was should tell them so that they could arrest him.

¹⁰ To married people I give this command (not really I, but the Lord): A wife must not leave her husband. ¹¹ But if she does leave him, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. Likewise, a husband must not abandon his wife.

⁹ Let’s stop putting the Lord to the test, as some of them were doing, and were destroyed by snakes.

²⁰ for instruction and for testimony? Surely they are speaking like this because the truth hasn’t dawned on them.

²⁵ The Good SamaritanJust then an expert in the Law stood up to test Jesus. He asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

³⁹ You examine the Scriptures carefully because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. Yet they testify about me.

²¹ You are Children of a Free WomanTell me, those of you who want to live under the Law: Are you really listening to what the Law says?

¹ Various Laws“If a man chooses to enter into marriage with a woman, but she finds herself displeasing to him because he has found something objectionable about her, he must draw up divorce papers, hand them to her, and then send her out of his house. ² If she goes out from his house, becomes the wife of another man, ³ and this second husband dislikes her, he, also, must draw up divorce papers, hand them to her, and then send her away from his house. Should the second husband die, ⁴ her first husband who married her and divorced her earlier must not remarry her, because she was defiled, since this is detestable to the LORD. Don’t defile the land that the LORD your God is about to give you as a possession.

¹ A Call to Return to God This is what the LORD says: “Where is your mother’s certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Look! It’s because of your sins that you were sold, and because of your transgressions that your mother was sent away.

¹ God Contemplates Divorcing Israel “When a man divorces his wife, she leaves him and becomes another man’s wife, will the first husband return to her again? The land would be deeply polluted, would it not? Since you have committed fornication with many lovers, would you now return to me?” declares the LORD.

¹⁹ Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to disgrace her, decided to divorce her secretly.

⁷ They asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order us ‘to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her’?”

⁶ Know that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving to you this good land to inherit, for you are a stubborn people.”

²⁷ because indeed I know your rebellion and stubbornness. Note that even while I’m still alive, you’ve been rebelling against the LORD—how much more so after my death!

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.

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.

⁸ He told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way.

⁵¹ “You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.

⁷ A Rest for the People of GodTherefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, ⁸ do not harden your hearts as they did when they provoked me during the time of testing in the wilderness. ⁹ There your ancestors tested me, even though they had seen my actions ¹⁰ for 40 years. That is why I was indignant with that generation and said, ‘They are always going astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.’

¹ The CreationIn the beginning, God created the universe.

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image; in his own image God created them; he created them male and female.

²⁰ The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds that fly, and to each of earth’s animals, but there was not found a strength corresponding to him, ²¹ so the LORD God caused a deep sleep to overshadow the man.
When the man was asleep, he removed one of the man’s ribs and closed up the flesh where it had been. ²² Then the LORD God formed the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³ So the man exclaimed, “At last! This is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. This one will be called ‘Woman,’ because she was taken from Man.”

² Creating them male and female, he blessed them and called them humans when he created them.

¹⁴ Yet you ask, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD acts as a witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you were unfaithful to her, your partner, the wife of your covenant. ¹⁵ Did he not make them one? And the vestige of the spirit remains in him. And why did he make them one? He was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and don’t be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
¹⁶ “Indeed, the LORD God of Israel says that he hates divorce, along with the one who conceals his violence by outward appearances,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies. “So guard yourselves carefully, and don’t be unfaithful.”

¹⁹ because those days will be a time of suffering, a kind that has not happened from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and certainly will never happen again.

⁴ by saying, “What happened to the Messiah’s promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of creation.”

²⁴ (Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they will become one flesh.)

⁵ and said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”

³¹ “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”

¹⁶ You know that the person who unites himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her, don’t you? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”

²⁸ In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself.

¹⁰ Jediael fathered Bilhan, and Bilhan’s descendants included Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. ¹¹ All these were descendants through Jediael according to the heads of their ancestral households. Their valiant warriors totaled 17,200 equipped and ready for battle.
¹² In addition, Shuppim and Huppim were the sons of Ir, and the Hushites were descended from Aher.
¹³ Genealogy of Naphtali
Naphtali’s descendants included Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, descended through Bilhah.

¹ Now We are Released from the LawDon’t you realize, brothers—for I am speaking to people who know the Law—that the Law can press its claims over a person only as long as he is alive? ² For a married woman is bound by the Law to her husband while he is living, but if her husband dies, she is released from the Law concerning her husband. ³ So while her husband is living, she will be called an adulterer if she lives with another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from this Law, so that she is not an adulterer if she marries another man.

¹⁰ The Purpose of the Parables
When he was alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the parables.

²⁸ When Jesus came home, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive the spirit out?”

³³ True Greatness
Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?”

⁹ I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

¹⁸ Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”

³ So while her husband is living, she will be called an adulterer if she lives with another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from this Law, so that she is not an adulterer if she marries another man. ⁴ A wife does not have authority over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband doesn’t have authority over his own body, but his wife does.

⁴ Let marriage be kept honorable in every way, and the marriage bed undefiled. For God will judge those who commit sexual sins, especially those who commit adultery.

¹¹ But if she does leave him, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. Likewise, a husband must not abandon his wife.

¹³ And if a woman has a husband who is an unbeliever and he is willing to live with her, she must not abandon him.

⁹ Moses said, “We will go with our young and with our old. We will go with our sons and our daughters, with our sheep and our cattle, because it’s a festival to the LORD for us.”
¹⁰ Then Pharaoh told them, “The LORD will certainly be with you if I let you and your little ones go. I know some evil plan is in your mind. ¹¹ No! Let the men go and serve the LORD, for that is what you were seeking.” Then they were driven out from the presence of Pharaoh.

¹² Gather the people—the men, women, children, and the foreigners that live in your cities—so they may hear and fear the LORD your God, and so they may be careful to obey the words contained in this Law. ¹³ Their children who don’t know will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land that you are crossing the Jordan River to possess.”

¹⁶ Gather the people! Dedicate the congregation! Bring in the elders. Gather the youngsters and even the nursing infants. Call the bridegroom from his wedding preparations, and the bride from her dressing room.

¹³ Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. ¹⁴ Jesus, however, said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to people like these.” ¹⁵ When he had laid his hands on them, he went on from there.

³⁸ The True Follower of Jesus
John told Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he wasn’t a follower like us.”

⁴⁸ Many people sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

¹⁵ Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Now some people were even bringing their infants to Jesus to have him touch them. But when the disciples saw this, they sternly told the people not to do that. ¹⁶ Jesus, however, called for the children and said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these. ¹⁷ I tell all of you with certainty, whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never get into it at all.”

⁷ I’m establishing my covenant between me and you, and with your descendants who come after you, generation after generation, as an eternal covenant, to be your God and your descendants’ God after you.

¹⁰ Here is my covenant that you are to observe, between me and you and your descendants: Every male among you is to be circumcised. ¹¹ You are all to be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this is to be the sign of the covenant between me and you. ¹² Generation after generation, every male among you is to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth, including the servant born in your house or the one purchased from a foreigner, who is not of your offspring. ¹³ The servant born in your house or the one purchased with money is to be circumcised. My covenant is to remain in your flesh as an eternal covenant. ¹⁴ Any uncircumcised male who does not have the foreskin of his flesh circumcised on the eighth day after his birth is to be eliminated from his people because he has broken my covenant.”

³¹ However, I’ll bring your little ones—the ones whom you claimed would become war victims—into the land so that they’ll know by experience the land that you’ve rejected.

³⁷ Moreover, he loved your ancestors, chose their descendants after them, and brought you out of Egypt, accompanied by his presence and great power,

¹¹ along with your children, your wives, even the foreigner in your camp, including the woodchopper and the water drawer— ¹² to enter into a covenant with the LORD your God and into the oath that he is about to make with you today,

¹¹ Hannah made a vow: “LORD of the Heavenly Armies, if you just look at the misery of your maid servant, remember me, and don’t forget your maid servant. If you give your maid servant a son, then I’ll give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and a razor is never to touch his head.”

²² Hannah did not go up because she had told her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I’ll take him to appear in the LORD’s presence and remain there forever.

²⁷ I prayed for this boy, and the LORD granted me the request I asked of him. ²⁸ Now I’m dedicating him to the LORD, and as long as he lives, he will be dedicated to the LORD.” Then they worshipped the LORD there.

⁴ We will not withhold them from their descendants; we’ll declare to the next generation the praises of the LORD— his might and awesome deeds that he has performed.

¹⁴ May the LORD add to your numbers— to you and to your descendants. ¹⁵ May you be blessed by the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth.

¹ A Davidic Song of Ascents
Hope in the LORD LORD, my heart is not arrogant, nor do I look haughty. I do not aspire to great things, nor concern myself with things beyond my ability. ² Instead, I have composed and quieted myself like a weaned child with its mother; I am like a weaned child.

²³ They won’t toil in vain nor bear children doomed to misfortune, for they will be offspring blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them.

³⁹ I’ll give them one heart and one lifestyle so they’ll fear me always for their own good and for the good of their descendants after them. ⁴⁰ I’ll make an everlasting covenant with them that I won’t turn away from doing good for them. I’ll put the fear of me in their hearts so they won’t turn away from me.

⁴ Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom from heaven,

¹⁰ “See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, because I tell you, their angels in heaven always have access to my Father in heaven.

¹⁴ Jesus, however, said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to people like these.”

⁵ Jesus looked around at them in anger, deeply hurt because of their hard hearts. Then he told the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held it out, and his hand was restored to health.

³³ But turning and looking at his disciples, Jesus rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan, because you’re not thinking God’s thoughts, but human thoughts!”

⁵⁴ When his disciples James and John observed this rejection, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them, ⁵⁶ and they all went on to another village.

¹⁵ Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Now some people were even bringing their infants to Jesus to have him touch them. But when the disciples saw this, they sternly told the people not to do that. ¹⁶ Jesus, however, called for the children and said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom of God belongs to people like these.

³⁹ For this promise belongs to you and your children, as well as to all those who are distant, whom the Lord our God may call to himself.”

²⁵ You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the covenant that God made with your ancestors when he told Abraham, ‘Through your descendant all the families of the earth will be blessed.’

¹⁶ If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch. If the root is holy, so are the branches.

²⁸ As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake, but as far as election is concerned, they are loved for the sake of their ancestors.

¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified because of her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but now they are holy.

²⁰ Brothers, stop being childish in your thinking. Be like infants with respect to evil, but think like adults.

²⁶ “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set while you are still angry,

⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first existed in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced that this faith also exists in you.

¹⁵ From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures that are able to give you the wisdom you need for salvation through faith in the Messiah Jesus.

² Like newborn babies, thirst for the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow in your salvation.

⁵ In their mouth no lie was found. They are blameless.

³ Then he said, “I tell all of you with certainty, unless you change and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom from heaven.

¹⁷ I tell all of you with certainty, whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never get into it at all.”

³ Jesus replied to him, “Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
⁴ Nicodemus asked him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He can’t go back into his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”
⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand, laying it on Ephraim’s head (he was the younger son) and laying his left hand on Manasseh’s head (even though Manasseh was the firstborn).
¹⁵ Israel Blesses Joseph’s SonsThen Israel blessed Joseph by saying: “May the God in whose presence my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has continued shepherding me my whole life even until today, ¹⁶ the angel who has been rescuing me from all sorts of evil, bless these young men. May my name continue to live on within them, including the names of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a vast multitude throughout the earth.”

³ “Blessed will you be in the city and blessed will you be in the country.

¹¹ Like a shepherd, he tends his flock. He gathers the lambs in his arms, carries them close to his heart, and gently leads the mother sheep.”

³⁶ Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He took him in his arms and told them,

²⁸ Simeon took the infant in his arms and praised God, saying, ²⁹ “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace according to your promise, ³⁰ because my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹ which you prepared for all people to see— ³² a light that will reveal salvation to unbelievers and bring glory to your people Israel.”
³³ Jesus’ father and mother kept wondering at the things being said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and told Mary, his mother, “This infant is destined to cause many in Israel to fall and rise. Also, he will be a sign that will be opposed.

⁵⁰ Jesus is Taken up to Heaven
Later, he led them out as far as Bethany, lifted up his hands, and blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.

¹⁵ Jesus Speaks with PeterWhen they had finished breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Peter told him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Feed my lambs.”
¹⁶ Then he asked him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter told him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus told him, “Take care of my sheep.” ¹⁷ He asked him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was deeply hurt that he had asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” So he told him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you!”
Jesus told him, “Feed my sheep.

¹⁰ Daniel is AccusedWhen Daniel learned that the written document had been signed, he went to an upstairs room in his house that had windows opened facing Jerusalem. Three times a day he would kneel down, pray, and give thanks to his God, just as he had previously done.

¹⁴ Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon
As they approached the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, knelt down in front of him,

¹⁶ A Rich Man Comes to Jesus
Just then a man came up to Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what good deed should I do to have eternal life?”
¹⁷ Jesus asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ The young man asked him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You must not murder, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘you must love your neighbor as yourself.’”
²⁰ The young man told him, “I have kept all of these. What do I still lack?”
²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” ²² But when the young man heard this statement he went away sad, because he had many possessions.
²³ Salvation and Reward
Then Jesus told his disciples, “I tell all of you with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom from heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.
²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
²⁷ “Look!” Peter replied. “We have left everything and followed you. So what will we get?”
²⁸ Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

³⁴ “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who have been blessed by my Father! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,

⁸ So they quickly left the tomb, terrified but also ecstatic, and ran to tell Jesus’ disciples.

⁴⁰ Jesus Cleanses a Leper
Then a leper came to Jesus and began pleading with him. He fell on his knees and told him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that won’t let him talk or hear—I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”

¹⁴ They came and told him, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere. You don’t favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. Rather, you teach the way of God truthfully. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn’t we?”

¹⁸ A Rich Man Comes to Jesus
Then an official asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Nobody is good except for one—God. ²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Never commit adultery. Never murder. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Honor your father and mother.’”
²¹ The official replied, “I have kept all of these since I was a young man.”
²² When Jesus heard this, he told him, “You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” ²³ But when the official heard this he became sad, because he was very rich.
²⁴ Salvation and Reward
So when Jesus saw how sad he was, he said, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the kingdom of God! ²⁵ Indeed, it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
²⁶ Those who were listening to Jesus asked, “Then who can be saved?”
²⁷ Jesus replied, “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.”
²⁸ Then Peter said, “See, we have left everything we have and followed you.”
²⁹ Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, there is no one who has left his home, wife, brothers, parents, or children because of the kingdom of God ³⁰ who will not receive many times as much in this world, as well as eternal life in the age to come.”

² He came to Jesus at night and told him, “Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher, because no one can perform these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.”

²⁷ Do not work for food that perishes but for food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him.”
²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to perform God’s works?”

⁴⁰ This is my Father’s will: That everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day.”

² So she ran off and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus kept loving. She told them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” ³ So Peter and the other disciple took off for the tomb. ⁴ The two of them were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and came to the tomb first.

³⁷ When the crowd that had gathered heard this, they were pierced to the heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

⁶ Now get up, go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”

³⁰ he took them outside and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³² “I’m now entrusting you to God and to the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and secure for you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.

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

²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah Jesus our Lord.

² For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge. ³ For they are ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God while they try to establish their own, and they have not submitted to God’s means to attain righteousness. ⁴ For the Messiah is the culmination of the Law as far as righteousness is concerned for everyone who believes.

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

² Indeed, there is no one holy like the LORD, indeed, there is no one besides you, there is no rock like our God.

⁷ How precious is your gracious love, God! The children of men take refuge in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ They are refreshed from the abundance of your house; You cause them to drink from the river of your pleasures.

⁵ Indeed you, Lord, are kind and forgiving, overflowing with gracious love to everyone who calls on you.

⁶⁸ LORD, you are good, and do what is good; teach me your statutes.

¹⁷ Jesus asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”

¹⁹ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “Nobody is good except for one—God.

⁴¹ “I do not accept human praise. ⁴² I know that you do not have the love of God in you. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me. Yet if another man comes in his own name, you will accept him. ⁴⁴ How can you believe when you accept each other’s praise and do not look for the praise that comes from the only God?

¹² All have turned away. They have become completely worthless. No one shows kindness, not even one person!

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.

⁸ The person who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

¹⁶ We have come to know and rely on the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

¹² “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.ו ¹³ “You are not to commit murder.ז ¹⁴ “You are not to commit adultery.ח ¹⁵ “You are not to steal.ט ¹⁶ “You are not to testify falsely against your neighbor.י ¹⁷ “You are not to covet your neighbor’s house. You are not to covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁶ “‘You are to honor your father and your mother, just as the LORD your God commanded you, so that your life will be long and things will go well for you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.ו ¹⁷ “‘You are not to murder.ז ¹⁸ “‘You are not to commit adultery.ח ¹⁹ “‘You are not to steal.ט ²⁰ “‘You are not to testify falsely against your neighbor.י ²¹ “‘You are not to desire your neighbor’s wife nor covet your neighbor’s house, his fields, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, nor anything that concerns your neighbor.’”
²² Moses Recalls God’s Warnings“The LORD declared these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly on the mountain from out of the fire and dark clouds, and nothing more was added. He inscribed them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. ²³ When you heard the voice from the darkness while the mountain was blazing, all the leaders and elders of your tribes came to me and said: ²⁴ ‘The LORD our God truly has displayed his glory and power, for we heard him from out of the fire today. We have witnessed how God spoke to human beings, yet they lived.

¹⁷ Jesus Fulfills the Law and the Prophets“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I didn’t come to destroy them, but to fulfill them, ¹⁸ because I tell all of you with certainty that until heaven and earth disappear, not one letter or one stroke of a letter will disappear from the Law until everything has been accomplished. ¹⁹ So whoever sets aside one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom from heaven. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom from heaven ²⁰ because I tell you, unless your righteousness greatly exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom from heaven!”

¹⁷ Jesus asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ The young man asked him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You must not murder, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘you must love your neighbor as yourself.’”

²⁸ The Greatest Commandment
Then one of the scribes came near and heard the Sadducees arguing with one another. He saw how well Jesus answered them, so he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of them all?”
²⁹ Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, ³⁰ and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
³² Then the scribe told him, “Well said, Teacher! You have told the truth that ‘God is one, and there is no other besides him.’ ³³ To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
³⁴ When Jesus saw how wisely the man answered, he told him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one dared to ask him another question.

²⁶ Jesus answered him, “What is written in the Law? What do you read there?”
²⁷ He answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And you must love your neighbor as yourself.”
²⁸ Jesus told him, “You have answered correctly. ‘Do this, and you will live.’”

²⁰ You know the commandments: ‘Never commit adultery. Never murder. Never steal. Never give false testimony. Honor your father and mother.’”

²⁰ Therefore, God will not justify any human being by means of the actions prescribed by the Law, for through the Law comes the full knowledge of sin.

⁹ For the commandments, “You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not covet,” and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”

⁷ The very fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves is already a defeat for you. Why not rather just accept the wrong? Why not rather be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you yourselves practice doing wrong and cheating others, and brothers at that!
⁹ You know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God, don’t you? Stop deceiving yourselves! Sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals,

¹⁴ For the whole Law is summarized in a single statement: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”

⁶ Furthermore, you must never take advantage of or exploit a brother in this regard, because the Lord avenges all these things, just as we already told you and warned you.

¹¹ For the one who said, “Never commit adultery,” also said, “Never murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you become a violator of the Law.

² They seek me day after day, and are eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practices righteousness and has not forsaken the justice of their God. “They ask me to reveal just decisions; they are eager to draw near to God.

¹⁴ I’m also going to turn you into a waste and an object of insult among the nations that surround you and in front of every person who passes by.

³¹ Then they come to you as a group, sit down right in front of you as if they were my people, hear your words—and then they don’t do what you say— because they’re seeking only their own desires, they pursue ill-gotten profits, and they keep following their own self-interests. ³² As far as they are concerned, you sing romantic songs with a beautiful voice and play a musical instrument well. They’ll listen to what you have to say, but they won’t put it into practice!

⁸ “Will a person rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “By the tithe and the offering.

²⁰ The young man told him, “I have kept all of these. What do I still lack?”

²⁹ But the man wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘O God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of my entire income.’

⁹ At one time I was alive without any connection to the Law. But when the rule was revealed, sin sprang to life,

⁶ As for my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church. As far as righteousness in the Law is concerned, I was blameless.

⁵ They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people.

¹⁹ so the young man did not delay the matter any further, since he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.
Now Shechem was the most important person in his father’s household.

²³ Purchase truth, but don’t sell it; store up wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

⁸ For he said, “Surely they are my people, children who won’t act falsely.” And so he became their savior. ⁹ In all their distress he wasn’t distressed, but the angel of his presence saved them; in his acts of love and in his acts of pity he redeemed them; he carried them and lifted them up all the days of old. ¹⁰ Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; so he changed and became their enemy, and he himself fought against them.

¹⁹ Teaching about Treasures
“Stop storing up treasures for yourselves on earth, where moths and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But keep on storing up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal, ²¹ because where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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.”
⁴⁵ The Parable about a Valuable Pearl“Again, the kingdom from heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.”

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously.

²¹ Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.”

³⁴ Then Jesus called the crowd to himself along with his disciples and told them, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continuously,

²³ Then he told all of them, “If anyone wants to come with me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross every day, and follow me continuously,

⁴² But there’s only one thing you need. Mary has chosen what is better, and it is not to be taken away from her.”

³³ “Sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make yourselves wallets that don’t wear out—a dependable treasure in heaven, where no thief can get close and no moth can destroy anything.

⁹ “I’m telling you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, they will welcome you into eternal homes.

²² When Jesus heard this, he told him, “You still need to do one thing. Sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.”

⁴¹ When he came closer and saw the city, he began to grieve over it:

²⁶ If anyone serves me, he must follow me. And where I am, there my servant will also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”

³³ I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have trouble, but be courageous—I’ve overcome the world!”

⁴⁵ They made it their practice to sell their possessions and goods and to distribute the proceeds to anyone who was in need.

³⁴ since none of them needed anything, because everyone who had land or houses would sell them and bring the money received for the things sold ³⁵ and lay it at the apostles’ feet. Then it was distributed to anyone who needed it. ³⁶ One man, Joseph, a descendant of Levi and a native of Cyprus, who was named Barnabas by the apostles (the name means “a son of encouragement”), ³⁷ sold a field that belonged to him, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

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.

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?

¹⁷ Advice for the WealthyTell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good actions, to be generous, and to share. ¹⁹ By doing this they store up a treasure for themselves that is a good foundation for the future, so that they can keep their hold on the life that is real.

¹² Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in union with the Messiah Jesus will be persecuted.

³⁴ For you sympathized with the prisoners and cheerfully submitted to the violent seizure of your property, because you know that you have a better and more permanent possession.

¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

⁴ and to an inheritance kept in heaven for you that can’t be destroyed, corrupted, or changed. ⁵ Through faith you are being protected by God’s power for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of this era.

⁴ However, I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.

¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: You have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, the one who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality.

²⁰ But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and who teaches and leads my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

⁵ Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks of sheep, herds, and tents. ⁶ But the land could not support them living together, because they had so many livestock that they could not stay together. ⁷ There was strife between the herdsmen in charge of Abram’s livestock and the herdsmen in charge of Lot’s livestock. Also, at that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land.
⁸ So Abram told Lot, “Please, let’s not have strife between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives. ⁹ Isn’t the whole land available to you? Let’s separate: If you go to the left, then I will go to the right; if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.”
¹⁰ Lot looked around and noticed that the whole Jordan plain as far as Zoar was well-watered like the garden of the LORD or like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) ¹¹ So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan plain. Then Lot traveled eastward, and they separated from each other.

¹⁰ Serve the LORD Only“When the LORD your God brings you to the land that he promised to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he will give you large and beautiful cities that you didn’t build, ¹¹ houses filled with every good thing that you didn’t supply, wells that you didn’t dig, and vineyards and olive groves that you didn’t plant. When you eat and are satisfied, ¹² be careful not to forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and slavery.

¹¹ Be careful! Otherwise, you will forget the LORD your God by failing to keep his commands, ordinances, and statutes that I’m commanding you this day. ¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you have built beautiful houses and lived in them, ¹³ when your cattle and oxen multiply, when your silver and gold increase, ¹⁴ then you will become arrogant. You’ll neglect the LORD your God,

⁷ The Wicked Prospers“Why do the wicked live to reach old age and increase in power and wealth, too? ⁸ Their children grow up while they’re alive, and they live to see their grandchildren. ⁹ Their houses are safe from fear, and God’s chastisement never visits them. ¹⁰ Their bull breeds without fail, and their cows calve without miscarriages. ¹¹ They release their children to play like sheep; their young ones dance about, ¹² singing with tambourines and lyres as they rejoice to the sound of flutes. ¹³ They grow old in prosperity, as they descend peacefully into the afterlife. ¹⁴ “They say to God, ‘Turn away from us! We have no desire to know your ways. ¹⁵ Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him? Where’s the profit in talking to him?’

³¹ Then they come to you as a group, sit down right in front of you as if they were my people, hear your words—and then they don’t do what you say— because they’re seeking only their own desires, they pursue ill-gotten profits, and they keep following their own self-interests.

²² As for what was sown among the thorn bushes, this is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of wealth choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop.

²² But when the young man heard this statement he went away sad, because he had many possessions.

³ The Death of Judas
Then Judas, who had betrayed him, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the high priests and elders,

²⁴ Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Attend to that yourselves.”
²⁵ All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and our children!” ²⁶ Then he released Barabbas for them, but he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.

²⁰ because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John was a righteous and holy man, and so he protected him. Whenever he listened to John, he did much of what he said. In fact, he liked listening to him.

²⁶ The king was deeply saddened, yet because of his oaths and his guests he was reluctant to refuse her.

¹⁵ Then he told them, “Be careful to guard yourselves against every kind of greed, because a person’s life doesn’t consist of the amount of possessions he has.”

²³ But when the official heard this he became sad, because he was very rich.

¹⁰ For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death.

⁵ For you know very well that no immoral or impure person, or anyone who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God.

⁹ But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.

¹⁰ because Demas, having fallen in love with this present world, has abandoned me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

¹⁵ Stop loving the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father’s love is not in him. 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.

²³ Salvation and Reward
Then Jesus told his disciples, “I tell all of you with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom from heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.
²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

³² But he kept looking around to look at the woman who had done this.

¹⁵ I tell all of you with certainty, whoever doesn’t receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

²⁴ Salvation and Reward
So when Jesus saw how sad he was, he said, “How hard it is for rich people to get into the kingdom of God!

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, I tell you emphatically, unless a person is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

²⁶ Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not?

⁴ You adulterers! Don’t you know that friendship with the world means hostility with God? So whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God.

¹¹ For in this way you will be generously granted entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah.

²⁴ No Trust in Wealth and Heavenly Bodies“If I’ve put my confidence in gold, if I’ve told gold, ‘You’re my security,’ ²⁵ if I’ve found joy in great wealth that I own, if I’ve earned a lot with my own hands,

¹⁴ from men, LORD, by your hand— from men who belong to this world, whose reward is only in this life. But as for your treasured ones, may their stomachs be full, may their children have an abundance, and may they leave wealth to their offspring.

⁶ those who put confidence in their wealth and boast about their great riches? ⁷ No man can redeem the life of another, nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him—

⁷ “Look, here is a young man who refused to make God his strength; instead, he trusted in his great wealth and made his wickedness his strength.

¹⁰ Don’t trust in oppression or put false hope in stealing; if you become wealthy, do not set your heart on it.

²⁸ The person who trusts in his wealth will fall, but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.

¹¹ The wealth of a rich person is his fortified city; in his own imagination, it is like a high wall.

⁵ When you fix your gaze on it, it’s gone, for it sprouts wings for itself and flies to the sky like an eagle.

²³ True Wisdom and the Coming JudgmentThis is what the LORD says: “The wise man is not to boast in his wisdom; the strong man is not to boast in his strength; and the rich man is not to boast in his riches.

⁴ Your wisdom and understanding brought you phenomenal wealth. You’ve brought gold and silver into your treasuries. ⁵ By your great wisdom, by your skills in trading you have amassed wealth for yourself and your heart has become arrogant because of your wealth.”

⁹ Judgment on Those who Think They are Safe“Woe to the one who amasses profit upon unjust profit in order to establish his household, so he can establish a secure place on the heights and escape from the power of evil.

¹⁸ Neither their silver nor their gold will deliver them in the Day of the LORD’s wrath; but the entire land will be consumed by the fire of his jealousy, for he will bring the inhabitants of the land to a sudden end.”

²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.

¹⁶ Then he told them a parable. He said, “The land of a certain rich man produced good crops. ¹⁷ So he began to think to himself, ‘What should I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and I’ll store all my grain and goods in them. ¹⁹ Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up plenty of good things for many years. Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”’ ²⁰ But God told him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you. Now who will get the things you’ve accumulated?’ ²¹ That’s how it is with the person who stores up treasures for himself rather than with God.”

²⁶ Those who were listening to Jesus asked, “Then who can be saved?”
²⁷ Jesus replied, “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.”

⁶⁰ The Words of Eternal LifeWhen many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This is a difficult statement. Who can accept it?”

³³ Little children, I’m with you only a little longer. You will look for me, but what I told the Jewish leaders I now tell you, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come.’

⁵ Jesus asked them, “Children, you don’t have any fish, do you?”
They answered him, “No.”

¹⁹ My children, I am suffering birth pains for you again until the Messiah is formed in you.

¹⁷ Advice for the WealthyTell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

¹ Advice for Rich PeopleNow listen, you rich people! Cry and moan over the miseries that are overtaking you. ² Your riches are rotten, your clothes have been eaten by moths, ³ your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be used as evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures in these last days.

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.

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.

²¹ Little children, keep yourselves away from idols.

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.

²³ Can an Ethiopian change his skin, or a leopard his spots? Then you who are trained to do evil will also be able to do good.

³ “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when the beam is in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.

²⁴ You blind guides! You filter out a gnat, yet swallow a camel!

²⁵ Indeed, it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”

⁵¹ Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples were utterly astounded,

³⁷ Amazed beyond measure, they kept on saying, “He does everything well! He even makes deaf people hear and mute people talk!”

²³ Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He told them,

²⁶ Those who were listening to Jesus asked, “Then who can be saved?”

³¹ They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you and your family will be saved.”

⁹ If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved. ¹¹ The Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will never be ashamed.” ¹² There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him. ¹³ “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

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.

¹³ The LORD asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and think, ‘Am I really going to bear a child, since I’m so old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything impossible for the LORD? At the time set for it, I will return to you—about a year from now—and Sarah will have a son.”

²¹ Moses Doubts God’s AbilityMoses responded, “I’m with 600,000 people on foot and you’re saying I am to give them enough meat to eat for a whole month? ²² What if we were to slaughter our entire inventory of flocks and herds for them? Would that be enough? What if we could gather all the fish in the sea in nets for them? Would that be enough, either?”
²³ God Rebukes MosesBut the LORD responded to Moses, “Is the LORD short on power? You’re now going to witness whether what I say will come to pass or not.”

² But the royal attendant on whom the king depended responded to the man of God: “Look here! Even if the LORD were to open a window in the sky, how could this happen?”
He replied, “No, you look! You’ll see it with your eyes, but you won’t eat any of it!”

² “I know that you can do anything and nothing that you plan is impossible.

¹⁷ ‘LORD! Look, you made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you!

²⁷ “Look, I am the LORD, the God who rules over all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?”

⁶ “This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘It may seem impossible to the survivors of this people, but is it impossible for me?’ declares the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

²⁶ Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

³⁷ Nothing is impossible with respect to any of God’s promises.”

²⁷ Jesus replied, “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.”

²¹ He will change our unassuming bodies and make them like his glorious body through the power that enables him to bring everything under his authority.

²⁵ Therefore, because he always lives to intercede for them, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him.

¹⁹ Abraham was certain that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did get Isaac back in this way.

²⁰ So at once they left their nets and followed him.

²² they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

¹⁶ Jesus Calls His First Disciples
While Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. ¹⁷ Jesus told them, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of people!” ¹⁸ So immediately they left their nets and followed him. ¹⁹ Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat repairing their nets. ²⁰ He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

³³ In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.”

⁷ But whatever things were assets to me, these I now consider a loss for the sake of the Messiah. ⁸ What is more, I continue to consider all these things to be a loss for the sake of what is far more valuable, knowing the Messiah Jesus, my Lord. It is because of him that I have experienced the loss of all those things. Indeed, I consider them rubbish in order to gain the Messiah ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but one that comes through the faithfulness of the Messiah, the righteousness that comes from God and that depends on faith.

¹ God Calls AbramThe LORD told Abram, “You are to leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s house and go to the land that I’m going to show you. ² I’ll make a great nation of your descendants, I’ll bless you, and I’ll make your reputation great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I’ll bless those who bless you, but I’ll curse the one who curses you, and through you all the people of the earth will be blessed.”

²⁰ Don’t worry about your household goods, because the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.”

⁹ the one who told his mother and father, ‘I don’t know them,’ and who would neither acknowledge his brothers nor know his own children. For they kept your word and guarded your covenant. ¹⁰ They will teach your ordinances to Jacob, and your Law to Israel. They will offer incense as a pleasant aroma to you and a whole burnt offering upon your altar. ¹¹ LORD, bless his substance and approve the work that he undertakes. Shatter the legs of those who oppose against him; may those who hate him stand no more.”

¹⁰ “How blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, because the kingdom from heaven belongs to them!
¹¹ “How blessed are you whenever people insult you, persecute you, and say all sorts of evil things against you falsely because of me!

¹⁸ You will be brought before governors and kings because of me, to testify to them and to unbelievers.

³⁵ because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it.

²⁸ “You are the ones who have always stood by me in my trials. ²⁹ And I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred a kingdom on me, ³⁰ so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit down on thrones to govern the twelve tribes of Israel.”

²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel in order to have a share in its blessings.

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.

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

⁹ Amaziah asked the man of God, “What are we to do about the 100 talents that I have paid to the army of Israel?”
The man of God answered, “The LORD has a lot more than that to give you!”

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.

⁹ Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first of all your produce, ¹⁰ so your barns will be filled with abundance, and your vats will burst open with new wine.

¹⁶ How much better than gaining gold is the acquisition of wisdom, the attainment of wisdom better than silver!

¹⁰ “Bring the entire tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. So put me to the test in this right now,” says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, “and see if I won’t throw open the windows of heaven for you and pour out on you blessing without measure.

¹¹ “How blessed are you whenever people insult you, persecute you, and say all sorts of evil things against you falsely because of me! ¹² Rejoice and be extremely glad, because your reward in heaven is great! That’s how they persecuted the prophets who came before you.”

³³ But first be concerned about God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.

³² Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.”

³⁰ who will not receive many times as much in this world, as well as eternal life in the age to come.”

²³ and Jesus was walking around in the Temple inside the open porch of Solomon.

²² Now you are having pain. But I’ll see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³ On that day, you won’t ask me for anything. Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, whatever you ask the Father for in my name, he will give it to you.

⁴¹ They left the Council, rejoicing to have been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the Name.

²⁵ Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

³ Not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

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

⁸ Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work. ⁹ As it is written, “He scatters everywhere and gives to the poor; his righteousness lasts forever.” ¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the farmer and bread to eat will also supply you with seed and multiply it and enlarge the harvest that results from your righteousness. 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,

⁸ What is more, I continue to consider all these things to be a loss for the sake of what is far more valuable, knowing the Messiah Jesus, my Lord. It is because of him that I have experienced the loss of all those things. Indeed, I consider them rubbish in order to gain the Messiah

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,

⁶ Of course, godliness with contentment does bring a great profit.

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.

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.

¹¹ We consider those who endured to be blessed. You have heard about Job’s endurance and have seen the purpose of the Lord—that the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

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.
¹⁵ Of course, none of you should suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker. ¹⁶ But if you suffer for being a Christian, do not feel ashamed, but glorify God with that name.

¹ We are God’s ChildrenSee what kind of love the Father has given us: We are called God’s children—and that is what we are! For this reason the world does not recognize us, because it did not recognize him, either.

⁹ ‘I know your suffering and your poverty—though you are rich—and the slander committed by those who claim to be Jews but are not. They are the synagogue of Satan.

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.

¹¹ I tell all of you, many will come from east and west and will feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom from heaven. ¹² But the unfaithful heirs of that kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

¹⁶ “In the same way, the last will be first, and the first will be last, because many are called, but few are chosen.”

³¹ Which of the two did the father’s will?”
They answered, “The first one.”
Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, tax collectors and prostitutes will get into God’s kingdom ahead of you!

²⁹ By having been baptized with John’s baptism, all the people who listened, including the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the experts in the Law rejected God’s plan for themselves by refusing to be baptized by John.

⁴⁰ Jesus told him, “Simon, I have something to ask you.”
“Teacher,” he replied, “ask it.”
⁴¹ “Two men were in debt to a moneylender. One owed him 500 denarii, and the other 50. ⁴² When they couldn’t pay it back, he generously canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?”
⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose the one who had the larger debt canceled.”
Jesus told him, “You have answered correctly.”
⁴⁴ Then, turning to the woman, he told Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You didn’t give me any water for my feet, but this woman has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You didn’t give me a kiss, but this woman, from the moment I came in, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but this woman has anointed my feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ So I’m telling you that her sins, as many as they are, have been forgiven, and that’s why she has shown such great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.”

³⁰ You see, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.

¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘O God, I thank you that I’m not like other people—thieves, dishonest people, adulterers, or even this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week, and I give a tenth of my entire income.’
¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven. Instead, he continued to beat his chest and said, ‘O God, be merciful to me, the sinner that I am!’ ¹⁴ I tell you, this man, rather than the other one, went down to his home justified, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas boldly declared, “We had to speak God’s word to you first, but since you reject it and consider yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are now going to turn to the gentiles. ⁴⁷ For that is what the Lord ordered us to do: ‘I have made you a light to the gentiles to be the means of salvation to the very ends of the earth.’”
⁴⁸ When the gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. Meanwhile, all who had been destined to eternal life believed,

³⁰ What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith. ³¹ But Israel, who pursued righteousness based on the Law, did not achieve the Law. ³² Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble. ³³ As it is written, “Look! I am placing a stone in Zion over which people will stumble— a large rock that will make them fall— and the one who believes in him will never be ashamed.”

⁸ “‘Listen, High Priest Joshua, you and those companions of yours who sit with you, for these men are a sign that I am presenting my servant, the Branch.

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.

¹¹ He answered them, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from heaven, but it hasn’t been given to them,

¹⁷ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
When Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and told them as they were walking along, ¹⁸ “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. ¹⁹ Then they will hand him over to unbelievers to be mocked, whipped, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised.”

³⁴ He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.

⁵¹ A Samaritan Village Refuses to Welcome JesusWhen the days grew closer for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he was determined to continue his journey to Jerusalem.

²³ Then turning to his disciples in private, he told them, “How blessed are the eyes that see what you see!

³¹ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. Everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled, ³² because he’ll be handed over to the unbelievers, and will be mocked, insulted, and spit on. ³³ After they have whipped him, they’ll kill him, but on the third day he’ll rise again.” ³⁴ But they didn’t understand any of this. What he said was hidden from them, and they didn’t know what he meant.

⁸ The disciples told him, “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders were just now trying to stone you to death, and you are going back there again?”

¹⁶ Then Thomas, who was called the Twin, told his fellow disciples, “Let’s go, too, so that we may die with him!”

²¹ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal because of the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised.

²² Jesus Again Predicts His Death and Resurrection
While they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands. ²³ They will kill him, but he will be raised on the third day.” Then they were filled with grief.

⁶⁶ What is your verdict?”
They replied, “He deserves to die!”

² They bound him with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

³¹ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he would be killed, but after three days he would rise again.

³¹ because he was teaching his disciples, “The Son of Man will be betrayed into human hands. They will kill him, but after being dead for three days he will be raised.”

⁶⁴ “You have heard his blasphemy! What is your verdict?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.

¹ Jesus is Taken to Pilate
As soon as it was morning, the high priests convened a meeting with the elders and scribes and the whole Council. They bound Jesus with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.

²² He said, “The Son of Man must suffer a great deal and be rejected by the elders, the high priests, and the scribes. Then he must be killed, but on the third day he will be raised.”

³¹ Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection a Third Time
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. Everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled, ³² because he’ll be handed over to the unbelievers, and will be mocked, insulted, and spit on. ³³ After they have whipped him, they’ll kill him, but on the third day he’ll rise again.”

¹ Jesus is Taken to Pilate
Then the whole crowd got up and took him to Pilate. ² They began to accuse him, “We found this man corrupting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that he is the Messiah, a king.”

²¹ but they continued to shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

⁶ He is not here, but has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: ⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day.’”

²⁸ Pilate Questions Jesus
Then Jesus was led from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters early in the morning. The Jews did not go into the headquarters, to avoid becoming unclean and unable to eat the Passover meal.

¹¹ Jesus answered him, “You have no authority over me at all, except what was given to you from above. That’s why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

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. ¹⁴ You rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer released to you,

²⁷ For the people who live in Jerusalem and their leaders, not knowing who Jesus was, condemned him and so fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.

²² And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

⁶ You have condemned and murdered the one who is righteous, even though he did not rebel against you.

¹⁰ They abhor me—they keep their distance from me; but they don’t refrain from spitting at the sight of me.

¹⁰ For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, you will not allow your holy one to experience corruption.

⁶ But as for me, I am only a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by people. ⁷ Everyone who sees me mocks me; they gape at me with open mouths and shake their heads at me. ⁸ They say, “Commit yourself to the LORD; perhaps the LORD will deliver him, perhaps he will cause him to escape, since he delights in him.”

¹³ Their mouths are opened wide toward me, like roaring and attacking lions.

⁶ I gave my back to those who beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not turn away my face from insults and spitting.

³ “He was despised and rejected by others, and a man of sorrows, intimately familiar with suffering; and like one from whom people hide their faces; and we despised him and did not value him.

² After two days, he will restore us to life, on the third day he will raise us up, and we will live in his presence.

³⁹ But he replied to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign. Yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah, ⁴⁰ because just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea creature for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

⁶⁷ Then they spit in his face and hit him. Some slapped him,

²⁷ The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the imperial headquarters and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸ They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹ Twisting some thorns into a victor’s crown, they placed it on his head and put a stick in his right hand. They knelt down in front of him and began making fun of him, saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” ³⁰ Then they spit on him and took the stick and hit him repeatedly on his head. ³¹ When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.
³² Jesus is Crucified
As they were leaving, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to carry Jesus’ cross. ³³ When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means “Skull Place”), ³⁴ they offered him a drink of wine mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ After they had crucified him, they determined who would get his clothes by throwing dice for them. ³⁶ Then they sat down there and continued guarding him. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
³⁸ At that time two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads, ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who were going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days—save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
⁴¹ In the same way the high priests, along with the scribes and elders, were also making fun of him. They kept saying, ⁴² “He saved others but can’t save himself! He is the king of Israel. Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him, if he wants to do so now. After all, he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
⁴⁴ In a similar way, the bandits who were being crucified with him kept insulting him.

⁶³ Then the high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we still need witnesses?” he asked.

⁶⁵ Some of them began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and kept hitting him with their fists and telling him, “Prophesy!” Even the servants took him and slapped him around.

¹⁷ They dressed him in a purple robe, twisted some thorns into a victor’s crown, and placed it on his head. ¹⁸ They began to greet him, “Long live the king of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They kept hitting him on the head with a stick, spitting on him, kneeling in front of him, and worshiping him. ²⁰ When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the purple robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.

²⁹ Those who passed by kept insulting him, shaking their heads, and saying, “Ha! You who were going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days— ³⁰ save yourself and come down from the cross!”
³¹ In the same way, the high priests, along with the scribes, were also making fun of him among themselves. They kept saying, “He saved others, but can’t save himself!

⁶³ Jesus is Insulted and Beaten
Then the men who were holding Jesus in custody began to make fun of him while they beat him. ⁶⁴ They blindfolded him and asked him over and over again, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit you?” ⁶⁵ And they kept insulting him in many other ways.

¹¹ Even Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and made fun of him. He put a magnificent robe on Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.

³⁵ Meanwhile, the people stood looking on. The leaders were mocking him by saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Messiah of God, the chosen one!”
³⁶ The soldiers also made fun of Jesus by coming up and offering him sour wine, ³⁷ saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸ There was also an inscription over him written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: “This is the King of the Jews.”
³⁹ Now one of the criminals hanging there kept insulting him, “You are the Messiah, aren’t you? Save yourself…and us!”

¹⁷ because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.

¹⁰ and told him, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and the cheap kind when people are drunk. But you have kept the best wine until now!”

² The soldiers twisted some thorns into a victor’s crown, put it on his head, and threw a purple robe on him. ³ They kept coming up to him and saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” Then they began to slap him on the face.

⁴ he was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures—and is still alive!—

⁴ When the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, prostrating herself to address him, “Help, your majesty!”
⁵ The king asked her, “What’s your problem?”
“I’ve been a widowed woman ever since my husband died,” she answered. ⁶ “Your humble servant used to have two sons, but they got into a fight out in the field. Because there was no one to keep them apart, one of them attacked the other and killed him. ⁷ Now please pay attention closely! My whole family is attacking your humble servant! They’re saying, ‘Turn over the one who attacked his brother and we’ll put him to death in retribution for his brother, whose life he took. That way, we’ll kill the heir also!’ They’re going to extinguish the only light left in my family, leaving my late husband neither an ongoing name nor a survivor on the face of the earth!”
⁸ Then the king replied to the woman, “Go home and I’ll issue a special order just for you.”
⁹ But the woman from Tekoa told the king, “Your majesty, let any guilt for this be on me and on my ancestors’ household, and not on my king or his throne!”
¹⁰ The king replied, “Bring anyone who talks to you about this to me, and he certainly won’t be bothering you anymore!”
¹¹ Then she said, “Your majesty, please remember the LORD your God, so that blood avengers don’t do any more damage! Otherwise, they’ll destroy my son!”
So he promised, “As the LORD lives, not even a single hair from your son’s head will fall to the ground!”

¹⁶ So now I’m asking one thing from you. Don’t refuse me.”
“Talk,” she told him.

²⁰ and told him, “I would like to make a minor request of you. Please don’t refuse me.”
“What is your request, mother?” the king asked her. “I won’t turn you down.”

²⁰ The Request of James and John
Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. ²¹ He asked her, “What do you want?”
She told him, “Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”
²² Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from?”
They told him, “We can.”
²³ He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”
²⁴ When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers. 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. ²⁸ That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

³⁷ Jesus allowed no one to go further with him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.

² Jesus’ Appearance is Changed
Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain to be alone with him. His appearance was changed in front of them,

³³ He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to feel distressed and troubled.

⁵ The LORD appeared to Solomon one night in a dream and told him, “Ask me for whatever you want and I’ll give it to you.”
⁶ So Solomon said: “You have demonstrated abundant gracious love to your servant David, my father, as he lived in your presence truthfully, righteously, and uprightly in his heart. In addition, you have kept on showing this abundant gracious love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today. ⁷ Now, LORD my God, you have set me as king to replace my father David, but I’m still young. I don’t have any leadership skills. ⁸ Your servant lives in the midst of your people that you have chosen, a great people that is too numerous to be counted. ⁹ So give your servant an understanding mind to govern your people, so I can discern between good and evil. Otherwise, how will I be able to govern this great people of yours?”
¹⁰ The LORD was pleased that Solomon had asked for this, ¹¹ so God told him: “Because you asked for this, and you didn’t ask for a long life for yourself, and you didn’t ask for the lives of your enemies, but instead you’ve asked for discernment so you can understand how to govern, ¹² look how I’m going to do precisely what you asked. I’m giving you a wise and discerning mind, so that there will have been no one like you before you and no one will arise after you like you. ¹³ I’m also giving you what you haven’t requested: both riches and honor, so that no other king will be comparable to you during your lifetime. ¹⁴ If you will live life my way, keeping my statutes and my commands, just like your father David did, I’ll also increase the length of your life.”
¹⁵ Then Solomon woke up and realized that he had dreamed a dream. Then he went back to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the LORD’s covenant, offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and threw a party for all of his servants.

⁵¹ Then Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man told him, “Rabbouni, I want to see again.”

⁷ “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you can ask for anything you want, and you’ll receive it.

¹⁹ But Micaiah responded, “Therefore, listen to what the LORD has to say. I saw the LORD, sitting on his throne, and the entire Heavenly Army was standing around him on his right hand and on his left hand.

⁹ The king’s daughters are among your honorable women; the queen, dressed in gold from Ophir, has taken her place at your right hand.”

¹ A Davidic psalm
A Priestly Ruler A declaration from the LORD to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

²⁸ Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel.

³¹ The Judgment of the Nations“When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels are with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.

³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes with the holy angels in his Father’s glory.”

¹⁹ Jesus is Taken Up to Heaven
So the Lord Jesus, after talking with his disciples, was taken up to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

²⁶ The Messiah had to suffer these things and then enter his glory, didn’t he?”

¹¹ They tried to find out what era or specific time the Spirit of the Messiah in them kept referring to when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow.

²² But King Solomon replied to his mother, “Why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Why not ask me to give up the kingdom for him, since he’s my older brother, and why not ask for Abiathar the priest, and for Zeruiah’s son Joab?”

⁸ For there is a cup in the hand of the LORD, foaming with well-mixed wine that he will pour out, leaving only the dregs, from which all the wicked of the earth will drink.

²² This is what your Lord, the LORD, says, your God, who defends his people’s cause: “See, I have taken from your hand the cup that made you stagger. And you will never again drink to the dregs the cup that is my anger.

¹⁵ Judgment on the NationsFor this is what the LORD God of Israel says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of burning anger from my hand and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.

⁵ Are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t seek them. Indeed, I’m about to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the LORD, ‘but your life will be spared wherever you go.’”

²¹ He asked her, “What do you want?”
She told him, “Promise that in your kingdom these two sons of mine will sit on your right and on your left.”
²² Jesus replied, “You don’t realize what you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup that I’m going to drink from?”
They told him, “We can.”

³⁹ Going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”

³⁶ He kept repeating, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”

⁵⁰ I have a baptism to be baptized with, and what stress I am under until it’s completed!

⁴² “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”

¹¹ Jesus told Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shouldn’t I drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, since we do not know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words,

³ You ask for something but do not get it because you ask for it for the wrong reason—for your own pleasure.

²⁵ It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher and a slave to be like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they do the same to those of his household!”

³¹ But Peter kept saying emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never deny you!” And all the others kept saying the same thing.

³⁷ “Lord, why can’t I follow you now?” Peter asked him. “I would lay down my life for you!”

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.

¹⁴ I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world.

² He even had James, the brother of John, killed with a sword.

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.

⁹ John’s Vision of the MessiahI am John, your brother and partner in the oppression, kingdom, and patience that comes because of Jesus. I was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.

²³ He told them, “You will indeed drink from my cup. But it’s not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father.”

² For you have given him authority over all humanity so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him.

²⁴ Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

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.

¹⁰ Arrogance only brings quarreling, but those receiving advice are wise.

²⁴ When the ten heard this, they became furious with the two brothers.

³³ True Greatness
Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, because they had argued on the road with one another about who was the greatest.
³⁵ So he sat down, called the Twelve, and told them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He took him in his arms and told them,

²⁴ An Argument about GreatnessNow an argument sprang up among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest.

¹⁰ Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other.

³ Do not act out of selfish ambition or conceit, but with humility think of others as being better than yourselves.

⁵ Or do you think the Scripture means nothing when it says that the Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us?

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.

²⁵ But he told them, “The kings of the unbelievers lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors.

³ Do not lord it over the people entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.

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. ⁹ And don’t call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ because you have only one Father, the one in heaven. ¹⁰ Nor are you to be called ‘Teachers,’ because you have only one teacher, the Messiah! ¹¹ The person who is greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

³⁵ So he sat down, called the Twelve, and told them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

⁴⁸ Then he told them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, because the one who is least among all of you is the one who is greatest.”

¹¹ Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹⁴ I tell you, this man, rather than the other one, went down to his home justified, because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right because that is what I am. 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. ¹⁶ Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, a servant isn’t greater than his master, and a messenger isn’t greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you understand these things, how blessed you are if you put them into practice! ¹⁸ I’m not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: ‘The one who ate bread with me has turned against me.’

³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my servants would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But for now my kingdom is not from here.”

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.

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.

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.

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.” ⁶ Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you.

¹⁰ The Exaltation of the Servant“Yet the LORD was willing to crush him, and he made him suffer. Although you make his soul an offering for sin, he will see his offspring, and he will prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will triumph in his hand. ¹¹ Out of the suffering of his soul he will see light and find satisfaction. And through his knowledge his servant, the righteous one, will make many righteous, and he will bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong; because he poured out his life to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he carried the sins of many, and made intercession for their transgressions.”

²⁴ Seventy weeks have been decreed concerning your people and your holy city: to restrain transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for lawlessness, to establish everlasting righteousness, to conclude vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

²⁶ Then after the 62 weeks, the anointed one will be cut down (but not for himself). Then the people of the Coming Commander will destroy both the city and the Sanctuary. Its ending will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war, with desolations having been decreed.

²⁸ That’s the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people.”

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. ²⁷ Because who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? It is the one at the table, isn’t it? But I’m among you as one who serves.

¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.

¹⁴ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you must also wash one another’s feet.

²¹ God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.

⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.

¹³ The Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, “A curse on everyone who is hung on a tree!”

⁵ Have the same attitude among yourselves that was also in the Messiah Jesus: ⁶ In God’s own form existed he, and shared with God equality, deemed nothing needed grasping. ⁷ Instead, poured out in emptiness, a servant’s form did he possess, a mortal man becoming. In human form he chose to be, ⁸ and lived in all humility, death on a cross obeying.

⁴ He must manage his own family well and have children who are submissive and respectful in every way. ⁵ For if a man does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church? ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, so that he won’t become arrogant and fall into the devil’s condemnation.

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.

⁸ Son though he was, he learned obedience through his sufferings

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

²⁹ Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Jesus. ³⁰ When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” ³¹ When the crowd told them harshly to be silent, they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”
³² Jesus stopped and called them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”
³³ They told him, “Lord, we want to be able to see!” ³⁴ Then Jesus, deeply moved with compassion, touched their eyes, and at once they could see again. So they followed him.

²⁰ A beggar named Lazarus, who was covered with sores, was brought to his gate.

²² “One day, the beggar died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.

³⁵ Jesus Heals a Blind Man
As Jesus was approaching Jericho, there was a blind man sitting by the road begging.

⁸ Then the neighbors and those who had previously seen him as a beggar said, “This is the man who used to sit and beg, isn’t it?”

² Now a man who had been crippled from birth was being carried in. Every day people would lay him at what was called the Beautiful Gate so that he could beg from those who were going into the Temple. ³ When he saw that Peter and John were about to go into the Temple, he asked them to give him something.

⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the growth of his government and peace there will be no end. He will rule over his kingdom, sitting on the throne of David, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies will accomplish this.

¹ The Reign of the Davidic King “A shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch will bear fruit from his roots.

⁵ “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I’ll raise up a righteous branch for David. He will be a king who rules wisely, and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his time Judah will be delivered and Israel will dwell in safety. This is the name by which he will be known: ‘The LORD Our Righteousness.’

¹ An Introduction to Jesus the MessiahThis is a record of the life of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

²³ and settled in a town called Nazareth in order to fulfill what was said by the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

²⁷ Jesus Heals Two Blind MenAs Jesus was traveling on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

²³ All the crowds were amazed and kept saying, “This man isn’t the Son of David, is he?”

²² Suddenly, a Canaanite woman from that territory came near and began to shout, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed!”

³⁰ When two blind men who were sitting by the roadside heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

⁹ Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹¹ The crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.”

⁴² “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”
They told him, “David’s.”
⁴³ He asked them, “Then how can David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord’ when he says, ⁴⁴ ‘The Lord told my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.”’?
⁴⁵ If David calls him ‘Lord’, how can he be his son?”

⁷¹ As he went out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”

²⁴ “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

¹⁶ Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth
Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been raised. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read,

³⁶ When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. ³⁷ They told him that Jesus from Nazareth was coming by.

⁴⁶ Nathaniel asked him, “From Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?”
Philip told him, “Come and see!”

⁴¹ while others were saying, “This is the Messiah!”
But some were saying, “The Messiah doesn’t come from Galilee, does he?

⁵² They answered him, “You aren’t from Galilee, too, are you? Search and see that no prophet comes from Galilee.”

¹⁹ Pilate wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus from Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”

¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”

²² Then God removed Saul and made David their king, about whom he testified, ‘I have found that David, the son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my wishes.’ ²³ It was from this man’s descendants that God, as he promised, brought to Israel a Savior, who is Jesus.

³ regarding his Son. He was a descendant of David with respect to his humanity ⁴ and was declared by the resurrection from the dead to be the powerful Son of God according to the spirit of holiness—Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

¹⁶ “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony to you for the churches. I am the root and descendent of David, the bright morning star.”

²⁴ Jacob Struggles with GodAnd so Jacob was left alone, and he struggled with a man until daybreak. ²⁵ When the man realized that he hadn’t yet won the struggle, he injured the socket of Jacob’s thigh, dislocating it as he wrestled with him, ²⁶ and said, “Let me go, because the dawn has come.”
“I won’t let you go,” Jacob replied, “unless you bless me.”
²⁷ Then the man asked him, “What’s your name?”
“Jacob,” he responded
²⁸ “Your name won’t be Jacob anymore,” the man replied, “but Israel, because you exerted yourself against both God and men, and you’ve emerged victorious.”

¹² Also to you, Lord, belongs gracious love, because you reward each person according to what he does.

¹³ You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

²³ But he didn’t answer her at all.
Then his disciples came up and kept urging him, “Send her away, because she keeps on screaming as she follows us.”
²⁴ But he replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”
²⁵ Then she came and fell down before him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
²⁶ He replied, “It’s not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.”
²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the puppies eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ tables.”
²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “Lady, your faith is great! What you want is granted.” That very hour her daughter was healed.

¹³ Jesus Blesses the Little Children
Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

³¹ When the crowd told them harshly to be silent, they shouted even louder, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

³⁵ While he was still speaking, some people came from the synagogue leader’s home and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Teacher anymore?”

²⁶ Now the woman happened to be a Greek, born in Phoenicia in Syria. She kept asking him to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷ But he kept telling her, “First let the children be filled. It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the puppies.”
²⁸ But she answered him, “Yes, Lord. Yet even the puppies under the table eat some of the children’s crumbs.”
²⁹ Then he told her, “Because you have said this, go! The demon has left your daughter.”

⁵ Then he told them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. ⁶ A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don’t have anything to serve him.’ ⁷ Suppose he answers from inside, ‘Stop bothering me! The door is already locked, and my children are here with us in the bedroom. I can’t get up and give you anything!’ ⁸ I tell you, even though that man doesn’t want to get up and give him anything because he is his friend, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
⁹ Ask, Search, Knock
So I say to you: Keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you, ¹⁰ because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door opened.

¹ The Parable about the Judge and the WidowJesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up. ² He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people. ³ In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while the judge refused. But later, he told himself, ‘I don’t fear God or respect people, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.’”
⁶ Then the Lord added, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ Won’t God grant his chosen people justice when they cry out to him day and night? Is he slow to help them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

³⁹ The people at the front of the crowd sternly told him to be quiet, but he started shouting even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times with every kind of prayer and request. Likewise, be alert with your most diligent efforts and pray for all the saints.

⁷ As a mortal man, he offered up prayers and appeals with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his devotion to God.

¹⁵ But you, Lord, are a compassionate God, merciful and patient, with unending gracious love and faithfulness.

⁸ Gracious and merciful is the LORD, slow to become angry, and overflowing with gracious love.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,

²⁸ When she had said this, she went away and called her sister Mary and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you!”

¹⁷ thereby becoming like his brothers in every way, so that he could be a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and could atone for the people’s sins.

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned.

¹ We Must Look Off to JesusTherefore, having so vast a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, and throwing off everything that hinders us and especially the sin that so easily entangles us, let us keep running with endurance the race set before us,

⁷ Solomon Asks God for WisdomThat very night God appeared to Solomon and told him, “Ask what I am to give you.”

⁸ Don’t be like them, because your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

⁷ Ask, Search, Knock
“Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened for you.

⁷ to be greeted in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by people.

³⁶ He asked them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

⁴¹ “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see again!”
⁴² So Jesus told him, “See again! Your faith has made you well.” ⁴³ Immediately the man could see again and began to follow Jesus, glorifying God. All the people saw this and gave praise to God.

¹⁶ Jesus told her, “Mary!”
She turned around and told him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means “Teacher”).

⁶ Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving.

⁹ because he spoke and it came to be, because he commanded, it stood firm.

⁸ the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the righteous.

¹⁸ On that day the deaf will hear the words of a scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. ¹⁹ The humble will again experience joy in the LORD, and the poorest people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

⁵ “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unblocked;

¹⁶ I’ll help the blind walk, even on a road they do not know; I’ll guide them in directions they do not know. I’ll turn the dark places into light in front of them, and the rough places into level ground. These are the things I will do, and I won’t abandon them. ¹⁷ Those who trust in carved idols will turn back and be completely disappointed, along with those who say to metal images, ‘You are our gods.’”
¹⁸ God Rebukes Israel“Listen, you deaf people, and look up, you blind people, so you may see!

²² When Jesus turned and saw her, he said, “Be courageous, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” And from that very hour the woman was well.

²⁸ When he had gone into the house, the blind men came to him.
Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can do this?”
They told him, “Yes, Lord!”
²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done for you!” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly told them, “See to it that nobody knows about this.”

⁵ the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the destitute hear the good news.

²² Jesus is Accused of Working with Beelzebul
Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to talk was brought to him. Jesus healed him so that the man could speak and see.

²⁸ Then Jesus answered her, “Lady, your faith is great! What you want is granted.” That very hour her daughter was healed.

¹⁴ Blind and lame people came to him in the Temple, and he healed them.

³¹ He went up to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began serving them.

³⁴ He told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed from your illness.”

²⁵ Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and he saw clearly. His sight was restored, and he saw everything perfectly, even from a distance.

⁵⁰ But Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

² as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, also called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³ Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women continued to support them out of their personal resources.

⁵ As long as I’m in the world, I’m the light of the world.” ⁶ After saying this, he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he spread the mud on the man’s eyes ⁷ and told him, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “Sent One”). So he went off, washed, and came back seeing.

³² Ever since creation it has never been heard that anyone healed the eyes of a man who was born blind.

³⁹ Then Jesus said, “I have come into this world to judge it, so that those who are blind may see and so that those who see may become blind.”

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.’