Staples Mill Road Baptist Church: Recent Episodes
Staples Mill Road Baptist Church
A wise son brings joy to his father,but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.2Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,but righteousness delivers from death.3TheLorddoes not let the righteous go hungry,but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.4Lazy hands make for poverty,but diligent hands bring wealth.5He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.6Blessings crown the head of the righteous,but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.[a]7The name of the righteousis used in blessings,[b]but the name of the wickedwill rot.8The wise in heart accept commands,but a chattering fool comes to ruin.9Whoever walks in integritywalks securely,but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.10Whoever winks maliciouslycauses grief,and a chattering fool comes to ruin.11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.12Hatred stirs up conflict,but love covers over all wrongs.13Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.14The wise store up knowledge,but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.15The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,but poverty is the ruin of the poor.16The wages of the righteous is life,but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.
1My son, if you have put upsecurity for your neighbor,havegiven your pledge for a stranger,2if you aresnared in the words of your mouth,caught in the words of your mouth,3then do this, my son, and save yourself,for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:go, hasten,[a]andplead urgently with your neighbor.4Give your eyes no sleepand your eyelids no slumber;5save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,[b]like a bird from the hand of the fowler.6Go tothe ant, Osluggard;consider her ways, andbe wise.7Without having any chief,officer, or ruler,8she prepares her breadin summerandgathers her food in harvest.9How long will you lie there,O sluggard?When will you arise from your sleep?10A little sleep, a little slumber,a littlefolding of the hands to rest,11and poverty will come upon you like a robber,and want like an armed man.12A worthless person, a wicked man,goes about withcrooked speech,13winks with his eyes, signals[c]with his feet,points with his finger,14withperverted heartdevises evil,continuallysowing discord;15therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;in a moment he will be brokenbeyond healing.16There aresix things that theLordhates,seven that are an abomination to him:17haughty eyes,a lying tongue,andhands that shed innocent blood,18a heart that devises wicked plans,feet that make haste to run to evil,19a false witness whobreathes out lies,and one whosows discord among brothers.
1My son, be attentive to my wisdom;incline your ear to my understanding,2that you may keepdiscretion,and your lips mayguard knowledge.3For the lips ofa forbidden[a]woman drip honey,and her speech[b]issmoother than oil,4but in the end she isbitter aswormwood,sharp asa two-edged sword.5Her feetgo down to death;her steps follow the path to[c]Sheol;6shedoes not ponder the path of life;her ways wander, and she does not know it.7Andnow, O sons, listen to me,and do not depart from the words of my mouth.8Keep your way far from her,and do not go near the door of her house,9lest you give your honor to othersand your years to the merciless,10lest strangers take their fill of your strength,and yourlabors go to the house of a foreigner,11and at the end of your life yougroan,when your flesh and body are consumed,12and you say,How I hated discipline,and my heartdespised reproof!13I did not listen to the voice of my teachersor incline my ear to my instructors.14I am at the brink of utter ruinin the assembled congregation.15Drinkwater from your own cistern,flowing water from your own well.16Should yoursprings be scattered abroad,streams of waterin the streets?17Let them be for yourself alone,and not for strangers with you.18Let yourfountain be blessed,andrejoice inthe wife of your youth,19a lovelydeer, a graceful doe.Let her breastsfill you at all times with delight;be intoxicated[d]always in her love.20Why should you be intoxicated, my son, witha forbidden womanand embrace the bosom ofan adulteress?[e]21Fora man's ways arebefore the eyes of theLord,and heponders[f]all his paths.22Theiniquities of the wickedensnare him,and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.23He dies for lack of discipline,and because of his great folly he isled astray.
20My son, be attentive to my words;incline your ear to my sayings.21Let them not escape from your sight;keep them within your heart.22For they arelife to those who find them,and healing to all their[a]flesh.23Keep your heart with all vigilance,forfrom it flowthe springs of life.24Put away from youcrooked speech,and putdevious talk far from you.25Let your eyes look directly forward,and your gaze be straight before you.26Ponder[b]the path of your feet;then all your ways will be sure.27Do not swerve to the right or to the left;turn your foot away from evil.
13Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,and the one who gets understanding,14for the gain from her is better than gain from silverand her profit better thangold.15She is more precious thanjewels,andnothing you desire can compare with her.16Long life is in her right hand;in her left hand areriches and honor.17Herways are ways of pleasantness,and all her paths are peace.18She isa tree of life to those wholay hold of her;those who hold her fast are called blessed.19TheLordby wisdom founded the earth;by understandinghe established the heavens;20by his knowledgethe deeps broke open,andthe clouds drop down the dew.21My son,do not lose sight of thesekeep sound wisdom and discretion,22and they will belife for your soulandadornment for your neck.23Then you will walk on your way securely,and your foot will not stumble.24If you lie down, you will not be afraid;when you lie down,your sleep will be sweet.25Do not be afraid of sudden terroror ofthe ruin[a]of the wicked, when it comes,26for theLordwill be your confidenceand willkeep your foot from being caught.27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[b]when it is in your power to do it.28Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come again,tomorrow I will give itwhen you have it with you.29Do not plan evil against your neighbor,whodwells trustingly beside you.30Do not contend with a man for no reason,when he has done you no harm.31Do not envya man of violenceand do not choose any of his ways,32forthe devious person is an abomination to theLord,but the upright arein his confidence.33TheLord's curse is on the house of the wicked,but heblesses the dwelling of the righteous.34Toward thescorners heis scornful,but to the humble he gives favor.[c]35The wise will inherit honor,but fools get[d]disgrace.
1My son, do not forget my teaching,but let your heart keep my commandments,2forlength of days and years of lifeandpeace they will add to you.3Let notsteadfast love andfaithfulness forsake you;bind them around your neck;write them on the tablet of your heart.4So you willfind favor andgood success[a]in the sight of God and man.5Trust in theLordwith all your heart,anddo not lean on your own understanding.6In all your waysacknowledge him,and hewill make straight your paths.7Be not wise in your own eyes;fear theLord, and turn away from evil.8It will behealing to your flesh[b]andrefreshment[c]to your bones.9Honor theLordwith your wealthand withthe firstfruits of all your produce;10then yourbarns will be filled with plenty,and your vats will be bursting with wine.11My son, do not despise theLord's disciplineor be weary of his reproof,12for theLordreproves him whom he loves,asa father the son in whom he delights.
11discretion willwatch over you,understanding will guard you,12delivering you from the way of evil,from men of perverted speech,13who forsake the paths of uprightnesstowalk in the ways of darkness,14whorejoice in doing evilanddelight in the perverseness of evil,15men whosepaths are crooked,and who aredevious in their ways.16Soyou will be delivered from the forbidden[a]woman,fromthe adulteress[b]withher smooth words,17who forsakesthe companion of her youthand forgetsthe covenant of her God;18for her house sinks down to death,and her paths to the departed;[c]19none who go to her come back,nor do they regain the paths of life.20So you will walk in the way of the goodand keep to the paths of the righteous.21For the uprightwill inhabit the land,and those with integrity will remain in it,22but the wicked will becut off from the land,and the treacherous will berooted out of it.
9And so,from the day we heard,we have not ceased to pray for you, asking thatyou may be filled with the knowledge of his will in allspiritual wisdom and understanding,10so asto walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,fully pleasing to him:bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;11being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, forall endurance and patiencewith joy;12giving thanks[a]to the Father, who has qualified you[b]to share inthe inheritance of the saints in light.13Hehas delivered us fromthe domain of darkness and transferred us tothe kingdom ofhis beloved Son,14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1My son,if you receive my wordsand treasure up my commandments with you,2making your ear attentive to wisdomand inclining your heart to understanding;3yes, if you call out for insightand raise your voicefor understanding,4if you seek it likesilverand search for it as forhidden treasures,5thenyou will understand the fear of theLordand find the knowledge of God.6FortheLordgives wisdom;from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;7he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;he isa shield to those whowalk in integrity,8guarding the paths of justiceandwatching over the way of hissaints.9Then you will understandrighteousness and justiceand equity, every good path;10for wisdom will come into your heart,and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;11discretion willwatch over you,understanding will guard you,12delivering you from the way of evil,from men of perverted speech,13who forsake the paths of uprightnesstowalk in the ways of darkness,14whorejoice in doing evilanddelight in the perverseness of evil,15men whosepaths are crooked,and who aredevious in their ways.
20Wisdom cries aloud in the street,in the markets she raises her voice;21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;atthe entrance of the city gates she speaks:22How long, Osimple ones, will you love being simple?How long willscoffers delight in their scoffingand foolshate knowledge?23If you turn at my reproof,[a]behold, I willpour out my spirit to you;I will make my words known to you.24Because I have called andyou refused to listen,havestretched out my hand and no one has heeded,25because you haveignored all my counselandwould have none of my reproof,26I alsowill laugh at your calamity;I will mock whenterror strikes you,27when terror strikes you likea stormand your calamity comes like a whirlwind,when distress and anguish come upon you.28Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;they will seek me diligently but will not find me.29Because theyhated knowledgeanddid not choose the fear of theLord,30would have none of my counselanddespised all my reproof,31therefore they shall eatthe fruit of their way,and havetheir fill of their own devices.32For the simple are killed bytheir turning away,andthe complacency of fools destroys them;33butwhoever listens to me will dwell secureand will beat ease, without dread of disaster.
8Hear, my son, your father's instruction,and forsake not your mother's teaching,9for they area graceful garland for your headandpendants for your neck.10My son, if sinnersentice you,do not consent.11If they say, Come with us,let us lie in wait for blood;let us ambush the innocent without reason;12like Sheol let usswallow them alive,and whole, likethose who go down to the pit;13we shall find all precious goods,we shall fill our houses with plunder;14throw in your lot among us;we will all have one purse15my son,do not walk in the way with them;hold back your foot from their paths,16fortheir feet run to evil,and they make haste to shed blood.17For in vain is a net spreadin the sight of any bird,18but these menlie in wait for their own blood;theyset an ambush for their own lives.19Such are the ways of everyone who isgreedy for unjust gain;it takes away the life of its possessors.
1The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:2To know wisdom and instruction,to understand words of insight,3to receive instruction in wise dealing,inrighteousness, justice, and equity;4to give prudence tothe simple,knowledge anddiscretion to the youth5Let the wise hear andincrease in learning,and the one who understands obtain guidance,6to understand a proverb and a saying,the words of the wise and theirriddles.7The fear of theLordis the beginning of knowledge;fools despise wisdom and instruction.
16For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. Fornecessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted witha stewardship.18What then is my reward? That in my preachingI may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.19Forthough I am free from all,I have made myself a servant to all, that I mightwin more of them.20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.21Tothose outside the law I becameas one outside the law (not being outside the law of God butunder the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.22To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.I have become all things to all people, thatby all means I might save some.23I do it all for the sake of the gospel,that I may share with them in its blessings.
Romans 10:13-17 (ESV)13Foreveryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in himof whom they have never heard?[c]And how are they to hearwithout someone preaching?15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written,How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!16Butthey have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says,Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?17Sofaith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
19Go therefore andmake disciples ofall nations,baptizing themin[a]the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20teaching themto observe all thatI have commanded you. And behold,I am with you always, tothe end of the age.
John 17:14-19 (ESV)14I have given them your word, andthe world has hated thembecause they are not of the world,just as I am not of the world.15Ido not ask that youtake them out of the world, but that youkeep them fromthe evil one.[a]16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.17Sanctify them[b]in the truth;your word is truth.18As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.19Andfor their sakeI consecrate myself,[c]that they alsomay be sanctified[d]in truth.
Jude 24-25 (ESV)24Now to him who is ableto keep you from stumbling andto present youblameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,25tothe only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord,be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time[a]and now and forever. Amen.
17But you mustremember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.18They[a]said to you,In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.19It is these who cause divisions, worldly people,devoid of the Spirit.20But you, beloved,building yourselves up in your most holy faith andpraying in the Holy Spirit,21keep yourselves in the love of God,waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.22And have mercy on those who doubt;23save others bysnatching them out ofthe fire; to others show mercywith fear, hating eventhe garment[b]stained by the flesh.
14It was also about these that Enoch,the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying,Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones,15to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they havecommitted in such an ungodly way, and of allthe harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.16These are grumblers, malcontents,following their own sinful desires;they are loud-mouthed boasters,showing favoritism to gain advantage.
1Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.2For by it the people of old received their commendation.3By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
8Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, andblaspheme the glorious ones.9But whenthe archangelMichael, contending with the devil, was disputingabout the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said,The Lord rebuke you.10But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.11Woe to them! For they walked inthe way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gainto Balaam's error andperished in Korah's rebellion.12These are hidden reefs[a]at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear,shepherds feeding themselves;waterless clouds,swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead,uprooted;13wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam oftheir own shame;wandering stars,for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.
5Now I wantto remind you, although you once fully knew it, thatJesus, who saved[a]a people out of the land of Egypt,afterward destroyed those who did not believe.6Andthe angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day7just asSodom and Gomorrah andthe surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality andpursued unnatural desire,[b]serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
3Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about ourcommon salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to youto contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.4Forcertain peoplehave crept in unnoticedwho long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervertthe grace of our God into sensuality anddeny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
1Jude, a servant[a]of Jesus Christ and brother of James,To those who are called,beloved in God the Father andkept for[b]Jesus Christ:2Maymercy,peace, and love be multiplied to you.
1OLordmy God, in you do Itake refuge;save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,2lest likea lion they tear my soul apart,rending it in pieces, withnone to deliver.3OLordmy God,if I have done this,if there iswrong in my hands,4if I have repaidmy friend[b]with evilorplundered my enemy without cause,5let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,and let himtrample my life to the groundand lay my glory in the dust.Selah6Arise, OLord, in your anger;lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.7Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;over it return on high.8TheLordjudges the peoples;judge me, OLord, according to my righteousnessand according to the integrity that is in me.9Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,and may you establish the righteousyou whotestthe minds and hearts,[c]O righteous God!10My shield iswith God,who savesthe upright in heart.11God isa righteous judge,and a God who feelsindignation every day.12If a man[d]does not repent, God[e]willwhet his sword;he hasbent andreadied his bow;13he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,making hisarrowsfiery shafts.14Behold, the wicked manconceives eviland ispregnant with mischiefand gives birth to lies.15He makesa pit, digging it out,and falls into the hole that he has made.16Hismischief returns upon his own head,and on his own skull his violence descends.17I will give to theLordthe thanks due to his righteousness,and I willsing praise to the name of theLord, the Most High.
1OLord,rebuke me not in your anger,nordiscipline me in your wrath.2Be gracious to me, OLord, for I am languishing;heal me, OLord,for my bones are troubled.3Mysoul also is greatly troubled.But you, OLordhow long?4Turn, OLord, deliver my life;save me for the sake of your steadfast love.5For indeath there is no remembrance of you;in Sheol who will give you praise?6I amweary with mymoaning;every night I flood my bed with tears;I drench my couch with my weeping.7Myeye wastes away because of grief;it grows weak because of all my foes.8Depart from me, all youworkers of evil,for theLordhas heard the sound of my weeping.9TheLordhas heard myplea;theLordaccepts my prayer.10All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;they shallturn back and be put to shame in a moment.
1Unless theLordbuilds the house,those who build it labor in vain.Unless theLordwatches over the city,the watchman stays awake in vain.2It is in vain that you rise up earlyand go late to rest,eating the bread of anxioustoil;for he gives to hisbelovedsleep.3Behold,children are a heritage from theLord,the fruit of the womb a reward.4Like arrows in the hand ofa warriorare the children[a]of one's youth.5Blessed is the manwho fills his quiver with them!He shall not be put to shamewhen he speaks with his enemiesin the gate.
1Give ear to my words, OLord;consider mygroaning.2Give attention to the sound of my cry,myKing and my God,forto you do I pray.3OLord, inthe morning you hear my voice;in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you[a]andwatch.4For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;evil may not dwell with you.5Theboastful shall notstand before your eyes;youhate all evildoers.6You destroy those who speaklies;theLordabhorsthe bloodthirsty and deceitful man.7But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,will enter your house.I willbow downtoward yourholy templein the fear of you.8Lead me, OLord, in your righteousnessbecause of my enemies;make your way straight before me.9For there is no truth in their mouth;their inmost self isdestruction;their throat isan open grave;theyflatter with their tongue.10Make them bear their guilt, O God;let themfall by their own counsels;because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,for they have rebelled against you.11But let all whotake refuge in yourejoice;let them ever sing for joy,and spread your protection over them,that those who love your name mayexult in you.12For youbless the righteous, OLord;youcover him with favor as witha shield.
1Answer me when I call, O God of myrighteousness!You havegiven me relief when I was in distress.Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!2O men,[a]how long shall my honor be turned into shame?How long will you love vain words and seek afterlies? Selah3But know that theLordhasset apartthe godly for himself;theLordhears when I call to him.4Be angry,[b]and do not sin;ponder in your own heartson your beds, and be silent. Selah5Offerright sacrifices,and put yourtrust in theLord.6There are many who say, Who will show us some good?Lift upthe light of your face upon us, OLord!7You have putmore joy in my heartthan they have when their grain and wine abound.8In peace I will bothlie down and sleep;for you alone, OLord, make medwell in safety.
1OLord,how many are my foes!Many arerising against me;2many are saying of my soul,There is no salvation for him in God. Selah[a]3But you, OLord, area shieldabout me,my glory, andthe lifter of my head.4Icried aloud to theLord,and heanswered me from hisholy hill. Selah5Ilay down and slept;I woke again, for theLordsustained me.6Iwill not be afraid of many thousands of peoplewho haveset themselves against me all around.7Arise, OLord!Save me, O my God!For youstrike all my enemies on the cheek;youbreak the teeth of the wicked.8Salvation belongs to theLord;your blessing be on your people! Selah
1Why dothe nations rage[a]and the peoples plot in vain?2The kings of the earth set themselves,and the rulers take counsel together,against theLordand against hisAnointed, saying,3Let usburst their bonds apartand cast away their cords from us.4He whosits in the heavenslaughs;the Lord holds them in derision.5Then he will speak to them in hiswrath,and terrify them in his fury, saying,6As for me, I haveset my KingonZion, myholy hill.7I will tell of the decree:TheLordsaid to me,You are my Son;today I have begotten you.8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,andthe ends of the earth your possession.9You shallbreak[b]them witha rod of ironand dash them in pieces likea potter's vessel.10Now therefore, O kings, be wise;be warned, O rulers of the earth.11Serve theLordwithfear,andrejoice withtrembling.12Kissthe Son,
1Blessed is the man[a]whowalks not inthe counsel of the wicked,nor stands inthe way of sinners,norsits inthe seat ofscoffers;2but hisdelight is in the law[b]of theLord,and on hislaw he meditates day and night.3He is likea treeplanted bystreams of waterthat yields its fruit in its season,and itsleaf does not wither.In all that he does, he prospers.4The wicked are not so,but are likechaff that the wind drives away.5Therefore the wickedwill not stand in the judgment,nor sinners inthe congregation of the righteous;6for theLordknowsthe way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked will perish.
1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb,taking the spices they had prepared.2And they foundthe stone rolled away from the tomb,3but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.4While they were perplexed about this, behold,twomen stood by them in dazzling apparel.5And as they werefrightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead?6He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you,while he was still in Galilee,7that the Son of Manmust be delivered into the hands of sinful men andbe crucified and onthe third day rise.8Andthey remembered his words,9and returning from the tomb theytold all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.--36As they were talking about these things,Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them,Peace to you!37But they werestartled andfrightened andthought they saw a spirit.38And he said to them,Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?39See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.40And when he had said this,he showed them his hands and his feet.41And while they still disbelievedfor joy and were marveling,he said to them,Have you anything here to eat?42They gave him a piece of broiled fish,[a]43and he took it and ate before them.44Then he said to them,These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.45Thenhe opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,46and said to them,Thusit is written,that the Christ should suffer and on the third dayrise from the dead,47and thatrepentance for[b]the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimedin his nameto all nations,beginning from Jerusalem.48You are witnesses of these things.
33And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals,one on his right and one on his left.34And Jesus said,Father,forgive them,for they know not what they do.[a]And they cast lotsto divide his garments.35Andthe people stood by, watching,butthe rulersscoffed at him, saying,He saved others;let him save himself,if he isthe Christ of God,his Chosen One!36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up andoffering him sour wine37and saying,If you arethe King of the Jews, save yourself!38There was also an inscription over him,[b]This isthe King of the Jews.39One of the criminals who were hangedrailed at him,[c]saying, Are you notthe Christ? Save yourself and us!40But the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation?41And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.42And he said, Jesus, remember mewhen you come into your kingdom.43And he said to him,Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me inparadise.The Death of Jesus44It was now about the sixth hour,[d]and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,[e]45while the sun's light failed. Andthe curtain of the temple was torn in two.46Then Jesus,calling out with a loud voice, said,Father,into your hands Icommit my spirit!And having said thishe breathed his last.47Nowwhen the centurion saw what had taken place,he praised God, saying, Certainly this man was innocent!48And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned homebeating their breasts.49And allhis acquaintances andthe women who had followed him from Galileestood at a distance watching these things.
1OLord,who shall sojourn in yourtent?Who shall dwell on yourholy hill?2He whowalks blamelessly anddoes what is rightandspeaks truth in his heart;3whodoes not slander with his tongueand does no evil to his neighbor,nortakes up a reproach against his friend;4in whose eyes a vile person is despised,but who honors those who fear theLord;whoswears to his own hurt and does not change;5whodoes not put out his money at interestanddoes not take a bribe against the innocent.He who does these things shall never bemoved.
15Now I urge you, brothers[a]you know thatthe household[b]of Stephanas werethe first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselvesto the service of the saints16be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer.17I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up foryour absence,18for theyrefreshed my spirit as well as yours.Give recognition to such people.19The churches of Asia send you greetings.Aquila and Prisca, together withthe church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.20All the brothers send you greetings.Greet one another with a holy kiss.21I, Paul, writethis greeting with my own hand.22If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him beaccursed. Our Lord, come![c]23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.24My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
10When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, forhe is doingthe work of the Lord, as I am.11Solet no one despise him.Help him on his wayin peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.12Now concerningour brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will[a]to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.13Be watchful,stand firm in the faith,act like men,be strong.14Let all that you do be done in love.
5I will visit you after passing throughMacedonia, forI intend to pass through Macedonia,6and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you mayhelp me on my journey, wherever I go.7For I do not want to see you nowjust in passing. I hope to spend some time with you,if the Lord permits.8But I will stay in Ephesus untilPentecost,9fora wide door for effective work has opened to me, andthere are many adversaries.
1Now concerning[a]the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.2Onthe first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up,as he may prosper,so that there will be no collecting when I come.3And when I arrive, I will sendthose whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.4If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
50I tell you this, brothers:flesh and bloodcannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.51Behold! I tell you a mystery.We shall not all sleep,but we shall all be changed,52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. Forthe trumpet will sound, andthe dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, andthis mortal body must put on immortality.54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:Death is swallowed up in victory.55O death, where is your victory?O death, where is your sting?56The sting of death is sin, andthe power of sin is the law.57But thanks be to God,who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding inthe work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lordyour labor is not in vain.
35But someone will ask,How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?36You foolish person!What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.38But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.39For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.43It is sown in dishonor;it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.45Thus it is written,The first man Adam became a living being;[a]the last Adam became alife-giving spirit.46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.47The first man was from the earth,a man of dust;the second man is from heaven.48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven,so also are those who are of heaven.49Justas we have borne the image of the man of dust,we shall[b]also bear the image of the man of heaven.
29Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?30Why are wein danger every hour?31I protest, brothers, bymy pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord,I die every day!32What do I gain if, humanly speaking,I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised,Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.33Do not be deceived:Bad company ruins good morals.[a]34Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. Forsome have no knowledge of God.I say this to your shame.
20But in factChrist has been raised from the dead,the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.21For asby a man came death,by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.22Foras in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.23But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, thenat his comingthose who belong to Christ.24Then comes the end, when he deliversthe kingdom to God the Father after destroyingevery rule and every authority and power.25For he must reignuntil he has put all his enemies under his feet.26The last enemy to bedestroyed is death.27ForGod[a]has put all things in subjection under his feet. But when it says, all things are put in subjection, it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him.28Whenall things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, thatGod may be all in all.
12Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead,how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?13But if there is no resurrection of the dead,then not even Christ has been raised.14And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.15We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God thathe raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised.17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile andyou are still in your sins.18Then those also whohave fallen asleep in Christ have perished.19If in Christ we have hope[a]in this life only,we are of all people most to be pitied.
1Now I would remind you, brothers,[a]of the gospelI preached to you, which you received,in which you stand,2and by whichyou are being saved, if youhold fast to the word I preached to youunless you believed in vain.3ForI delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ diedfor our sinsin accordance with the Scriptures,4that he was buried, that he was raisedon the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures,5and thathe appeared to Cephas, thento the twelve.6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.7Then he appeared toJames, thento all the apostles.8Last of all, as to one untimely born,he appeared also to me.9ForI am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, becauseI persecuted the church of God.10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary,I worked harder than any of them,though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.11Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
1After thisthe Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites,[a]came against Jehoshaphat for battle.2Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, A great multitude is coming against you from Edom,[b]from beyond the sea; and, behold, they are inHazazon-tamar (that is,Engedi).3Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his faceto seek theLord, andproclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.4And Judah assembled to seek help from theLord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek theLord.5And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of theLord, before the new court,6and said, OLord, God of our fathers, are you notGod in heaven? Yourule over all the kingdoms of the nations.In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.7Did you not, our God,drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel, and give it forever to the descendants ofAbraham your friend?8And they have lived in it and have built for you in it a sanctuary for your name, saying,9If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment,[c]or pestilence, or famine,we will stand before this house and before youfor your name is in this houseand cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.10And now behold, the men ofAmmon and Moab andMount Seir, whomyou would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt,and whom they avoided and did not destroy11behold, they reward usby coming to drive us out of your possession, which you have given us to inherit.12O our God, will you notexecute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, butour eyes are on you.13Meanwhile all Judah stood before theLord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.14Andthe Spirit of theLordcame[d]upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly.15And he said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says theLordto you,Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde,for the battle is not yours but God's.16Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end ofthe valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.17You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of theLordon your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them,and theLordwill be with you.18Then Jehoshaphatbowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before theLord, worshiping theLord.19And the Levites, of theKohathites and theKorahites, stood up to praise theLord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.20And they rose early in the morning and went out intothe wilderness of Tekoa. And when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem!Believe in theLordyour God, and you will be established; believe his prophets, and you will succeed.21And when he had taken counsel with the people, he appointed those who were to sing to theLordand praise himin holy attire, as they went before the army, and say,Give thanks to theLord,for his steadfast love endures forever.22And when they began to sing and praise, theLordsetan ambush against the men ofAmmon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed.23For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction, and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir,they all helped to destroy one another.24When Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked toward the horde, and behold, there[e]were dead bodies lying on the ground; none had escaped.25When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take their spoil, they found among them, in great numbers, goods, clothing, and precious things, which they took for themselves until they could carry no more. They were three days in taking the spoil, it was so much.26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah,[f]for there they blessed theLord. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Beracah to this day.27Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy,for theLordhad made them rejoice over their enemies.28They came to Jerusalem with harps and lyres and trumpets, to the house of theLord.29And the fear of God came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that theLordhad fought against the enemies of Israel.30So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet,for his God gave him rest all around.
1In those daysa decree went out fromCaesar Augustus that all the world should beregistered.2This was the firstregistration when[a]Quiriniuswas governor of Syria.3And all went to be registered, each to his own town.4And Joseph also went upfrom Galilee, from the town ofNazareth, to Judea, tothe city of David, which is calledBethlehem,because he was of the house and lineage of David,5to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b]who was with child.6Andwhile they were there, the time came for her to give birth.7And she gave birth to her firstborn son andwrapped him in swaddling cloths andlaid him in a manger, because there was no place for them inthe inn.[c]The Shepherds and the Angels8And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.9And an angel of the Lordappeared to them, andthe glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.10And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for allthe people.11Forunto you is born this day inthe city of Davida Savior, who isChristthe Lord.12Andthis will be a sign for you: you will find a babywrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.13And suddenly there was with the angela multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,14Glory to Godin the highest,and on earthpeaceamong those with whom he is pleased![d]15When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.16And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the babylying in a manger.17And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.18And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.19ButMary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.20And the shepherds returned,glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
26In the sixth month the angelGabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee namedNazareth,27to a virgin betrothed[a]to a man whose name was Joseph,of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.28And he came to her and said, Greetings,O favored one,the Lord is with you![b]29Butshe was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, foryou have found favor with God.31And behold,you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, andyou shall call his name Jesus.32He will be great and will be called the Son ofthe Most High. And the Lord Godwill give to him the throne ofhis father David,33and he will reign over the house of Jacobforever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.34And Mary said to the angel, How will this be, since I am a virgin?[c]35And the angel answered her,The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power ofthe Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d]will be calledholythe Son of God.36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with herwho was called barren.37Fornothing will be impossible with God.38And Mary said, Behold, I am the servant[e]of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. Andthe angel departed from her.
13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,Who do people say that the Son of Man is?14And they said, Some sayJohn the Baptist, others sayElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.15He said to them,But who do you say that I am?16Simon Peter replied,You arethe Christ,the Son ofthe living God.17And Jesus answered him,Blessed are you,Simon Bar-Jonah! Forflesh and blood has not revealed this to you,but my Father who is in heaven.18And I tell you,you are Peter, andon this rock[a]I will build my church, andthe gates ofhell[b]shall not prevail against it.19I will give youthe keys of the kingdom of heaven, andwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[c]in heaven.
26What then, brothers? When you come together, each one hasa hymn,a lesson,a revelation,a tongue, oran interpretation.Let all things be done for building up.27If any speak ina tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret.28But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God.29Let two or three prophets speak, and let the othersweigh what is said.30If a revelation is made to another sitting there,let the first be silent.31For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged,32and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets.33For God is not a God ofconfusion but of peace.As inall the churches of the saints,34the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, butshould be in submission, asthe Law also says.35If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.36Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached?37If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.38If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized.39So, my brothers,earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.40But all things should be done decently andin order.
10You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness,11my persecutions and sufferings that happened to meat Antioch,at Iconium, andat Lystrawhich persecutions I endured; yetfrom them allthe Lord rescued me.12Indeed, all who desire tolive a godly life in Christ Jesuswill be persecuted,13whileevil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving andbeing deceived.14But as for you,continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom[a]you learned it15and howfrom childhood you have been acquainted withthe sacred writings,which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.16All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,17thatthe man of God[b]may be complete,equippedfor every good work.4:1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,who is to judge the living and the dead, and byhis appearing and his kingdom:2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season;reprove, rebuke, andexhort, with complete patience and teaching.3For the time is coming when people will not enduresound[c]teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,4andwill turn away from listening to the truth andwander off into myths.5As for you,always be sober-minded,endure suffering, do the work ofan evangelist,fulfill your ministry.6ForI am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of mydeparture has come.7I have fought the good fight,I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.8Henceforth there islaid up for methe crown of righteousness, which the Lord,the righteous judge, will award to me onthat day, and not only to me but also to allwho have loved his appearing.
1Pursue love, andearnestly desire thespiritual gifts, especially that you mayprophesy.2Forone who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.3On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.4The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.5Now I want you all to speak in tongues, buteven more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.6Now, brothers,[a]if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you somerevelation or knowledge or prophecy orteaching?7If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?8Andif the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?9So with yourselves, if with your tongue you utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will bespeaking into the air.10There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning,11but if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will bea foreigner to the speaker and the speaker a foreigner to me.12So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.13Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.15What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also;I will sing praise with my spirit, but I willsing with my mind also.16Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider[b]sayAmen toyour thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying?17For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up.18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.19Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.20Brothers,do not be children in your thinking.Be infants in evil, but in your thinking bemature.21In the Law it is written,By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.22Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign[c]not for unbelievers but for believers.23If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter,will they not say that you are out of your minds?24But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all,25the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so,falling on his face, he will worship God anddeclare that God is really among you.
1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.2And if I haveprophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith,so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.3If I give away all I have, andif I deliver up my body to be burned,[a]but have not love, I gain nothing.4Love is patient andkind; lovedoes not envy or boast; itis not arrogant5or rude. Itdoes not insist on its own way; itis not irritable or resentful;[b]6itdoes not rejoice at wrongdoing, butrejoices with the truth.7Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,endures all things.8Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.9Forwe know in part and we prophesy in part,10butwhen the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.12Fornow we see in a mirror dimly, butthen face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even asI have been fully known.13So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1Nowconcerning[a]spiritual gifts,[b]brothers,[c]I do not want you to be uninformed.2You know thatwhen you were pagansyou were led astray tomute idols, however you were led.3Therefore I want you to understand thatno one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus isaccursed! andno one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.4Nowthere are varieties of gifts, butthe same Spirit;5andthere are varieties of service, butthe same Lord;6and there are varieties of activities, but it isthe same God who empowers them all in everyone.7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.8For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance ofwisdom, and to another the utterance ofknowledge according to the same Spirit,9to anotherfaith by the same Spirit, to anothergifts of healing by the one Spirit,10to anotherthe working of miracles, to anotherprophecy, to anotherthe ability to distinguish between spirits, to anothervarious kinds of tongues, to anotherthe interpretation of tongues.11All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit,who apportions to each one individuallyas he wills.12For just asthe body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body,so it is with Christ.13Forin one Spirit we were all baptized into one bodyJews or Greeks, slaves[d]or freeandall were made to drink of one Spirit.14For the body does not consist of one member but of many.15If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body.16And if the ear should say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body.17If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?18But as it is,God arranged the members in the body, each one of them,as he chose.19If all were a single member, where would the body be?20As it is, there are many parts,[e]yet one body.21The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,23and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,24which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,25that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.26If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored,all rejoice together.27Nowyou are the body of Christ and individuallymembers of it.28AndGod has appointed in the church firstapostles, secondprophets, third teachers, thenmiracles, thengifts of healing,helping,administrating, andvarious kinds of tongues.29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?30Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?31Butearnestly desire the higher gifts.And I will show you a still more excellent way.
1Paul,a prisoner for Christ Jesus, andTimothy our brother,To Philemon our beloved fellow worker2and Apphia our sister andArchippus ourfellow soldier, andthe church in your house:3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.4I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,5because Ihear of your love andof the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints,6and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the fullknowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.[a]7For I have derived much joy andcomfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saintshave been refreshed through you.8Accordingly,though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to dowhat is required,9yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to youI, Paul, an old man and nowa prisoner also for Christ Jesus10I appeal to you formy child,Onesimus,[b]whose father I became in my imprisonment.11(Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)12I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.13I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve meon your behalfduring my imprisonment for the gospel,14but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not beby compulsion but of your own accord.15For this perhaps is whyhe was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever,16no longer as a bondservant[c]but more than a bondservant, asa beloved brotherespecially to me, but how much more to you,both in the flesh and in the Lord.17So if you consider meyour partner, receive him as you would receive me.18If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.19I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay itto say nothing of your owing me even your own self.20Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord.Refresh my heart in Christ.21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.22At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, forI am hoping thatthrough your prayersI will be graciously given to you.23Epaphras, myfellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you,24and so doMark,Aristarchus,Demas, andLuke, my fellow workers.25The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
17But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.18For, in the first place, when you come together as a church,I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,[a]19forthere must be factions among you in orderthat those who are genuine among you may be recognized.20When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat.21For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry,another gets drunk.22What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despisethe church of God andhumiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.23ForI received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, thatthe Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,24and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said,This is my body, which is for[b]you. Do this in remembrance of me.[c]25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying,This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's deathuntil he comes.27Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lordin an unworthy manner will be guilty concerningthe body and blood of the Lord.28Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.29For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.30That is why many of you are weak and ill, and somehave died.[d]31But if we judged[e]ourselves truly, we would not be judged.32But when we are judged by the Lord,we are disciplined[f]so that we may not becondemned along with the world.33So then, my brothers,[g]when you come together to eat, wait for[h]one another34if anyone is hungry,let him eat at homeso that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other thingsI will give directionswhen I come.
1Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.2Now I commend youbecause you remember me in everything andmaintain the traditionseven as I delivered them to you.3But I want you to understand thatthe head of every man is Christ,the head of a wife[a]is her husband,[b]andthe head of Christ is God.4Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head,5but every wife[c]who prays orprophesieswith her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the sameas if her head were shaven.6For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head.7For a man ought not to cover his head, sincehe is the image and glory of God, butwoman is the glory of man.8Forman was not made from woman, but woman from man.9Neither was man created for woman, butwoman for man.10That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.[d]11Nevertheless,in the Lord woman is not independent of man nor man of woman;12for as woman was made from man, so man is now born of woman. Andall things are from God.13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?14Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him,15but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.16If anyone is inclined to be contentious, we have no such practice, nor dothe churches of God.
14Therefore, my beloved,flee from idolatry.15I speakas to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?17Because there is one bread, we who are many areone body, for we all partake of the one bread.18Considerthe people of Israel:[a]are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?19What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or thatan idol is anything?20No, I imply that what pagans sacrificethey offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord andthe cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord andthe table of demons.22Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?Are we stronger than he?Do All to the Glory of God23All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.24Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.25Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.26Forthe earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.27If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go,eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.28But if someone says to you, This has been offered in sacrifice, then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience29I do not meanyour conscience, but his. Forwhy should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience?30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of thatfor which I give thanks?31So, whether you eat or drink, orwhatever you do, do all to the glory of God.32Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or tothe church of God,33just asI try to please everyone in everything I do,not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
1For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,[a]that our fathers were all underthe cloud, and allpassed through the sea,2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,3andall ate the samespiritual food,4andall drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, forthey were overthrown[b]in the wilderness.6Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil asthey did.7Do not be idolatersas some of them were; as it is written,The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.8We must not indulge in sexual immoralityas some of them did, andtwenty-three thousand fell in a single day.9We must not put Christ[c]to the test,as some of them did andwere destroyed by serpents,10nor grumble,as some of them did andwere destroyed bythe Destroyer.11Now these things happened to them as an example, butthey were written down for our instruction,on whom the end of the ages has come.12Thereforelet anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.God is faithful, andhe will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
19Forthough I am free from all,I have made myself a servant to all, that I mightwin more of them.20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.21Tothose outside the law I becameas one outside the law (not being outside the law of God butunder the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.22To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.I have become all things to all people, thatby all means I might save some.23I do it all for the sake of the gospel,that I may share with them in its blessings.24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receivesthe prize? Sorun that you may obtain it.25Everyathlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but wean imperishable.26So I do not run aimlessly; Ido not box as onebeating the air.27But I discipline my body andkeep it under control,[a]lest after preaching to othersI myself should bedisqualified.
1Am I not free?Am I not an apostle?Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?Are not you my workmanship in the Lord?2If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you arethe seal of my apostleship in the Lord.3This is my defense to those who would examine me.4Do we not have the right to eat and drink?5Do we not have the right to take along a believing wife,[a]as do the other apostles andthe brothers of the Lord andCephas?6Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?8Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same?9For it is written in the Law of Moses,You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. Is it for oxen that God is concerned?10Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was writtenfor our sake, becausethe plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.11If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?12If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?Nevertheless,we have not made use of this right, but we endure anythingrather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.13Do you not know thatthose who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings?14In the same way, the Lord commanded thatthose who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.15ButI have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyonedeprive me of my ground for boasting.16For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. Fornecessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!17For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted witha stewardship.18What then is my reward? That in my preachingI may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
1Now concerning[a]food offered to idols: we know thatall of us possess knowledge. This knowledgepuffs up,but love builds up.2If anyone imagines that he knows something,he does not yet know as he ought to know.3But if anyone loves God,he is known by God.[b]4Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know thatan idol has no real existence, and thatthere is no God but one.5For although there may beso-called gods in heaven or on earthas indeed there are many gods and many lords6yetfor us there is one God, the Father,from whom are all things and for whom we exist, andone Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things andthrough whom we exist.7However, not all possess this knowledge. But some,through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, andtheir conscience, being weak, is defiled.8Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.9But take carethat this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling blockto the weak.10For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating[c]in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged,[d]if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?11And so by your knowledge this weak person isdestroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.12Thus, sinning against your brothers[e]andwounding their conscience when it is weak,you sin against Christ.13Therefore,if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
17Only let each person lead the life[a]that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him.This is my rule inall the churches.18Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised?Let him not seek circumcision.19For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, butkeeping the commandments of God.20Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called.21Were you a bondservant[b]when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.)22For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant isa freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called isa bondservant of Christ.23You were bought with a price;do not become bondservants of men.24So, brothers,[c]in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God. The Unmarried and the Widowed 25Now concerning[d]the betrothed,[e]I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment asone who by the Lord's mercy istrustworthy.26I think that in view of the present[f]distressit is good for a person to remain as he is.27Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free from a wife? Do not seek a wife.28But if you do marry, you have not sinned, and if a betrothed woman[g]marries, she has not sinned. Yet those who marry will have worldly troubles, and I would spare you that.29This is what I mean, brothers:the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buyas though they had no goods,31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. Forthe present form of this world is passing away. 32I want you to befree from anxieties.The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord.33But the married man is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife,34and his interests are divided. And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband.35I say this for your own benefit,not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord. 36If anyone thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed,[h]if his[i]passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marryit is no sin.37But whoever is firmly established in his heart, being under no necessity but having his desire under control, and has determined this in his heart, to keep her as his betrothed, he will do well.38So then he who marries his betrotheddoes well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. 39A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, onlyin the Lord.40Yetin my judgment she is happier if she remains as she is. And I thinkthat I too have the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 7:10-16 (ESV) 10To the marriedI give this charge (not I, but the Lord):the wife should not separate from her husband11(but if she does,she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), andthe husband should not divorce his wife. 12To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her.13If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.14For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband.Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.15But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you[a]to peace.16For how do you know, wife,whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?
1Now concerning the matters about which you wrote:It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.2But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.3The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.4For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.5Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again,so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6Now as a concession,not a command, I say this.[a]7I wish that all wereas I myself am. Buteach has his own gift from God,one of one kind and one of another. 8To the unmarried and the widows I say thatit is good for them to remain single,as I am.9But if they cannot exercise self-control,they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
9Or do you not know that the unrighteous[a]will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,[b]10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.11Andsuch were some of you. Butyou were washed,you were sanctified,you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. Flee Sexual Immorality 12All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.13Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for foodand God will destroy both oneand the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, butfor the Lord, andthe Lord for the body.14AndGod raised the Lord andwill also raise us upby his power.15Do you not know thatyour bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!16Or do you not know that he who is joined[c]to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written,The two will become one flesh.17But he who is joined to the Lordbecomes one spirit with him.18Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin[d]a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral personsins against his own body.19Ordo you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?You are not your own,20for you were bought with a price.So glorify God in your body.
1When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteousinstead of the saints?2Or do you not know thatthe saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?3Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!4So if you have such cases,why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?5I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,6but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?7To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you.Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?8But you yourselves wrong and defraudevenyour own brothers!
1It is actually reported that there issexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans,for a man has his father's wife.2Andyou are arrogant! Ought younot rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. 3For thoughabsent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing.4When you are assembledin the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,5you areto deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, sothat his spirit may be savedin the day of the Lord.[a] 6Your boasting is not good. Do you not know thata little leaven leavens the whole lump?7Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.8Let us therefore celebrate the festival,not with the old leaven,the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9I wrote to you in my letternot to associate with sexually immoral people10not at all meaningthe sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters,since then you would need to go out of the world.11But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyonewho bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindlernot even to eat with such a one.12For what have I to do with judgingoutsiders?Is it not those inside the church[b]whom you are to judge?13God judges[c]those outside.Purge the evil person from among you.
1 Corinthians 4:14-21 (ESV) 14I do not write these thingsto make you ashamed, but to admonish youas my beloved children.15Forthough you have countless[b]guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. ForI became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.16I urge you, then,be imitators of me.17That is whyI sent[c]you Timothy,my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ,[d]as I teach them everywhere in every church.18Some arearrogant,as though I were not coming to you.19ButI will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power.20Forthe kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.21What do you wish?Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?
6I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers,[a]that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you maybe puffed up in favor of one against another.7For who sees anything different in you?What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? 8Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!9For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all,like men sentenced to death, because wehave become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.10We are fools for Christ's sake, butyou are wise in Christ.We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.11To the present hourwe hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed andbuffeted andhomeless,12and welabor, working with our own hands.When reviled, we bless;when persecuted, we endure;13when slandered, we entreat.We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world,the refuse of all things.
1This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ andstewards of the mysteries of God.2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.3But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself.4For I am not aware of anything against myself,but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.5Thereforedo not pronounce judgment before the time,before the Lord comes,who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
18Let no one deceive himself.If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.19Forthe wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written,He catches the wise in their craftiness,20and again,The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.21Solet no one boast in men. Forall things are yours,22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the futureall are yours,23andyou are Christ's, andChrist is God's.
3I thank my Godin all my remembrance of you,4always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.6And I am sure of this, that he who begana good work in youwill bring it to completion atthe day of Jesus Christ.7It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold youin my heart, for you are allpartakers with me of grace,[a]bothin my imprisonment and inthe defense and confirmation of the gospel.8ForGod is my witness,how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
10According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled[a]master builder I laid afoundation, andsomeone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.11For no one can lay afoundation otherthan that which is laid,which is Jesus Christ.12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw13each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealedby fire, andthe fire will test what sort of work each one has done.14If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives,he will receive a reward.15If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved,but only as through fire. 16Do you not know that you[b]are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?17If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. ForGod's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1But I, brothers,[a]could not address you asspiritual people, but aspeople of the flesh, asinfants in Christ.2I fed you with milk, not solid food, foryou were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,3for you are still of the flesh. For while there isjealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?4Forwhen one says, I follow Paul, and another, I follow Apollos,are you not being merely human?5What then is Apollos? What is Paul?Servants through whom you believed,as the Lord assigned to each.6I planted,Apollos watered,but God gave the growth.7Soneither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.8He who plants and he who waters are one, and eachwill receive his wages according to his labor.9For we areGod's fellow workers. You are God's field,God's building.
1And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a]did not come proclaiming to youthe testimony[b]of God with lofty speech or wisdom.2For I decided to know nothing among you exceptJesus Christ and him crucified.3AndI was with youin weakness and in fear and much trembling,4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration ofthe Spirit and of power,5so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men[c]butin the power of God.6Yet amongthe mature we do impart wisdom, although it is nota wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age,who are doomed to pass away.7But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God,which God decreed before the ages for our glory.8None ofthe rulers of this age understood this, forif they had, they would not have crucifiedthe Lord of glory.9But, as it is written,What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,nor the heart of man imagined,what God haspreparedfor those who love him10these thingsGod has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, eventhe depths of God.11For who knows a person's thoughtsexcept the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.12Nowwe have received notthe spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.13And we impart thisin words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit,interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.[d]14The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they arefolly to him, andhe is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.15Thespiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one.16For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? Butwe have the mind of Christ.
18For the word of the cross isfolly tothose who are perishing, but to uswho are being saved it isthe power of God.19For it is written,I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.20Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach[a]to save those who believe.22ForJews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,23but we preach Christcrucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christthe power of God andthe wisdom of God.25For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.26For consider your calling, brothers:not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,[b]not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.27ButGod chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;28God chose what is low and despised in the world, eventhings that are not, tobring to nothing things that are,29sothat no human being[c]might boast in the presence of God.30And because of him[d]you are in Christ Jesus, who became to uswisdom from God,righteousness andsanctification andredemption,31so that, as it is written,Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.
Thanksgiving4Igive thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,5that in every wayyou were enriched in him in allspeech and all knowledge6even asthe testimony about Christ was confirmed among you7so that you are not lacking in any gift, as youwait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,8who will sustain you to the end,guiltlessin the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.9God is faithful, by whom you were called into thefellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.Divisions in the Church10I appeal to you, brothers,[a]by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be nodivisions among you, but that you be unitedin the same mind and the same judgment.11For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there isquarreling among you, my brothers.12What I mean is thateach one of you says, I follow Paul, or I followApollos, or I followCephas, or I follow Christ.13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were youbaptized in the name of Paul?14I thank God that I baptized none of you exceptCrispus andGaius,15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.16(I did baptize alsothe household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, andnot with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
1Paul,calledby the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to thosesanctified in Christ Jesus,called to be saints together with all those who in every placecall upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1You then,my child,be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,2andwhat you have heard from me in the presence of many witnessesentrust to faithful men,[a]who will be able to teach others also.3Share in suffering asa good soldier of Christ Jesus.4No soldiergets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.5An athlete is notcrowned unless he competes according to the rules.6It isthe hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.7Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.8Remember Jesus Christ,risen from the dead, theoffspring of David,as preached in my gospel,9for which I am suffering,bound with chains as a criminal. Butthe word of God is not bound!10ThereforeI endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtainthe salvation that is in Christ Jesus witheternal glory.11The saying istrustworthy, for:If we have died with him, we will alsolive with him;12if we endure, we will also reign with him;if we deny him, he also will deny us;13if we are faithless,he remains faithfulforhe cannot deny himself.
18Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young,you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.19(This he said to showby what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him,Follow me.Jesus and the Beloved Apostle20Peter turned and sawthe disciple whom Jesus loved following them,the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?21When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man?22Jesus said to him,If it is my will that he remainuntilI come, what is that to you?You follow me!23So the saying spread abroad amongthe brothers[a]that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but,If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?24This is the disciplewho is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, andwe knowthat his testimony is true.25Nowthere are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose thatthe world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
1After this Jesusrevealed himselfagain to the disciples bythe Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.2Simon Peter,Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael ofCana in Galilee,the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.3Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. They said to him, We will go with you. They went out and got into the boat, butthat night they caught nothing.4Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciplesdid not know that it was Jesus.5Jesus said to them,Children, do you have any fish?They answered him, No.6He said to them,Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.7That disciplewhom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, It is the Lord! When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,he put on his outer garment, for he wasstripped for work, andthrew himself into the sea.8The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards[a]off.9When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread.10Jesus said to them,Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.12Jesus said to them,Come andhave breakfast.Nownone of the disciples dared ask him, Who are you? They knew it was the Lord.13Jesus came andtook the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.14This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.Jesus and Peter15When they hadfinished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,Simon,son of John,do you love me more than these?He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him,Feedmy lambs.16He said to him a second time,Simon, son of John, do you love me?He said to him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. He said to him,Tendmy sheep.17He said to him the third time,Simon, son of John, do you love me?Peter was grieved because he said to himthe third time,Do you love me?and he said to him, Lord,you know everything; you know that I love you. Jesus said to him,Feedmy sheep.
1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw thatthe stone had been taken away from the tomb.2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple,the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, andwe do not know where they have laid him.3So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.4Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.5And stooping to look in, he sawthe linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,7andthe face cloth, which had been on Jesus'[a]head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.8Then the other disciple,who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;9for as yetthey did not understand the Scripture,that he must rise from the dead.10Then the disciples went back to their homes.Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.12Andshe sawtwo angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.13They said to her,Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them,They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.14Having said this, she turned around andsaw Jesus standing,but she did not know that it was Jesus.15Jesus said to her,Woman, why are you weeping?Whom are you seeking?Supposing him to bethe gardener, she said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.16Jesus said to her,Mary.She turned and said to him in Aramaic,[b]Rabboni! (which means Teacher).17Jesus said to her,Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go tomy brothers and say to them,I am ascending to my Father and your Father, tomy God and your God.18Mary Magdalenewent and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lordand that he had said these things to her.Jesus Appears to the Disciples19On the eveningof that day, the first day of the week,the doors being locked where the disciples werefor fear of the Jews,[c]Jesus came and stood among them and said to them,Peace be with you.20When he had said this,he showed them his hands and his side. Thenthe disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.21Jesus said to them again,Peace be with you. Asthe Father has sent me,even so I am sending you.22And when he had said this, hebreathed on them and said to them,Receive the Holy Spirit.23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.Jesus and Thomas24NowThomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,[d]was not with them when Jesus came.25So the other disciples told him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them,Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.26Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them.Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said,Peace be with you.27Then he said to Thomas,Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.28Thomas answered him,My Lord and my God!29Jesus said to him,Have you believed because you have seen me?Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
16So hedelivered him over to them to be crucified.The CrucifixionSo they took Jesus,17andhe went out,bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.18There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.19Pilatealso wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.20Many of the Jews read this inscription, forthe place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek.21So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, Do not write, The King of the Jews, but rather, This man said, I am King of the Jews.22Pilate answered,What I have written I have written.23When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.[a]But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom,24so they said to one another, Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,They divided my garments among them,and for my clothing they cast lots.So the soldiers did these things,25but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.26When Jesus saw his mother andthe disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother,Woman, behold, your son!27Then he said to the disciple,Behold, your mother!And from that hour the disciple took her tohis own home.The Death of Jesus28After this, Jesus, knowing that all was nowfinished, said (to fulfill the Scripture),I thirst.29A jar full of sour wine stood there,so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said,It is finished,and he bowed his head andgave up his spirit.Jesus' Side Is Pierced31Since it wasthe day of Preparation, andso that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath wasa high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.32So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the otherwho had been crucified with him.33But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.34But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came outblood and water.35He who saw it has borne witnesshis testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truththat you also may believe.36For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled:Not one of his boneswill be broken.37And again another Scripture says,They will look on him whom they have pierced.Jesus Is Buried38After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretlyfor fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.39Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[b]by night, camebringing a mixture ofmyrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[c]in weight.40So they took the body of Jesus andbound it inlinen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.41Now in the place where he was crucified there was agarden, andin the garden a new tombin which no one had yet been laid.42So because of the Jewishday of Preparation,since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
1Then Pilate took Jesus andflogged him.2And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.3They came up to him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! and struck him with their hands.4Pilate went out again and said to them, See, I am bringing him out to you that you may know thatI find no guilt in him.5So Jesus came out, wearingthe crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them,Behold the man!6When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, Crucify him, crucify him! Pilate said to them,Take him yourselves and crucify him, forI find no guilt in him.7The Jews[a]answered him, We have a law, andaccording to that law he ought to die becausehe has made himself the Son of God.8When Pilate heard this statement,he was even more afraid.9He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus,Where are you from? ButJesus gave him no answer.10So Pilate said to him, You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?11Jesus answered him,You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Thereforehe who delivered me over to youhas the greater sin.12From then onPilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend.Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.13So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down onthe judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic[b]Gabbatha.14Now it wasthe day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.[c]He said to the Jews,Behold your King!15They cried out,Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
Peter Denies Jesus Again25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, You also are not one of his disciples, are you? He denied it and said, I am not.26One of the servants of the high priest, a relative ofthe man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, Did I not see youin the garden with him?27Peter again denied it, andat once a rooster crowed.Jesus Before Pilate28Then they led Jesusfrom the house of Caiaphas tothe governor's headquarters.[a]It was early morning. They themselves did not enter the governor's headquarters,so that they would not be defiled,but could eat the Passover.29So Pilate went outside to them and said, What accusation do you bring against this man?30They answered him, If this man were not doing evil, we would not have delivered him over to you.31Pilate said to them,Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law. The Jews said to him, It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.32This was to fulfill the word that Jesus had spokento show by what kind of death he was going to die.My Kingdom Is Not of This World33So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him,Are you the King of the Jews?34Jesus answered,Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?35Pilate answered, Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?36Jesus answered,My kingdomis not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world,my servants would have been fighting, thatI might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.37Then Pilate said to him, So you are a king? Jesus answered,You say that I am a king.For this purpose I was born and for this purposeI have come into the worldto bear witness to the truth.Everyone who isof the truthlistens to my voice.38Pilate said to him, What is truth?After he had said this,he went back outside to the Jews and told them,I find no guilt in him.39But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover. So do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?40They cried out again,Not this man, but Barabbas! Now Barabbas was a robber.
1When Jesus had spoken these words,he went out with his disciples acrossthe brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.2Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knewthe place, forJesus often met there with his disciples.3So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.4Then Jesus,knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to them,Whom do you seek?5They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said to them,I am he.[a]Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them.6When Jesus[b]said to them,I am he,they drew back and fell to the ground.7So he asked them again,Whom do you seek?And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.8Jesus answered,I told you that I am he. So, if you seek me, let these men go.9This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken:Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one.10Then Simon Peter,having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant[c]and cut off his right ear. (The servant's name was Malchus.)11So Jesus said to Peter,Put your sword into its sheath;shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?Jesus Faces Annas and Caiaphas12So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews[d]arrested Jesus and bound him.13First theyled him toAnnas, for he was the father-in-law ofCaiaphas, who was high priest that year.14It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewsthat it would be expedient that one man should die for the people.Peter Denies Jesus15Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest,16but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in.17The servant girl at the door said to Peter, You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you? He said, I am not.18Now the servants[e]and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves.Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.The High Priest Questions Jesus19The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.20Jesus answered him,I have spokenopenlyto the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together.I have said nothing in secret.21Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.22When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying,Is that how you answer the high priest?23Jesus answered him,If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?24Annas then sent him bound toCaiaphas the high priest.
20I do notask for these only, but also for thosewho will believe in me through their word,21that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, thatthey also may be inus, so that the worldmay believe that you have sent me.22The glory that you have given meI have given to them,that they may be one even as we are one,23I in them and you in me,that they may become perfectly one,so that the world may know that you sent me andloved them even asyou loved me.24Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may bewith mewhere I am,to see my glory that you have given me because you loved mebefore the foundation of the world.25O righteous Father, even thoughthe world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me.26I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the lovewith which you have loved me may be in them, andI in them.
14I have given them your word, andthe world has hated thembecause they are not of the world,just as I am not of the world.15Ido not ask that youtake them out of the world, but that youkeep them fromthe evil one.[a]16They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.17Sanctify them[b]in the truth;your word is truth.18As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.19Andfor their sakeI consecrate myself,[c]that they alsomay be sanctified[d]in truth.
9I am praying for them.I am not praying for the world but for thosewhom you have given me, forthey are yours.10All mine are yours, and yours are mine, andI am glorified in them.11And I am no longer in the world, butthey are in the world, andI am coming to you.Holy Father,keep them in your name,which you have given me,that they may be one,even as we are one.12While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I haveguarded them, andnot one of them has been lost exceptthe son of destruction,that the Scripture might be fulfilled.13But nowI am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may havemy joy fulfilled in themselves.
1When Jesus had spoken these words,he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said,Father,the hour has come;glorify your Son that the Son mayglorify you,2sinceyou have given him authority over all flesh,to give eternal life to allwhom you have given him.3And this is eternal life,that they know you,the onlytrue God, andJesus Christ whom you have sent.4Iglorified you on earth,having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.5And now, Father,glorify me in your own presence with the glorythat I had with youbefore the world existed.6I have manifested your name to the peoplewhom you gave me out of the world.Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.7Now they know that everythingthat you have given me is from you.8For I have given themthe words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth thatI came from you; andthey have believed that you sent me.
25I have said these things to you in figures of speech.The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.26In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf;27for the Father himself loves you, becauseyou have loved me andhave believed that I came from God.[a]28I came from the Father and have come into the world, and nowI am leaving the world and going to the Father.29His disciples said, Ah, now you are speaking plainly and notusing figurative speech!30Now we know thatyou know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe thatyou came from God.31Jesus answered them,Do you now believe?32Behold,the hour is coming, indeed it has come, whenyou will be scattered, each to his own home, andwill leave me alone.Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.33I have said these things to you, thatin me you may have peace.In the world you will havetribulation. Buttake heart;I have overcome the world.
16A little while, and you will see me no longer; andagain a little while, and you will see me.17Sosome of his disciples said to one another, What is this that he says to us,A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;and,because I am going to the Father?18So they were saying, What does he mean bya little while?We do not know what he is talking about.19Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me?20Truly, truly, I say to you,you will weep and lament, butthe world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, butyour sorrow will turn into joy.21When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.22So also you have sorrow now, butI will see you again, andyour hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.23In that day you willask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you,whatever you ask of the Father in my name,he will give it to you.24Until now you have asked nothing in my name.Ask, and you will receive,that your joy may be full.
19Therefore, brothers,[a]since we have confidence to enterthe holy places by the blood of Jesus,20bythe new and living way that he opened for us throughthe curtain, that is, through his flesh,21and since we havea great priest over the house of God,22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our heartssprinkled cleanfrom an evil conscience and our bodieswashed with pure water.23Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, forhe who promised is faithful.24Andlet us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, andall the more as you seethe Day drawing near.
5But nowI am going to him who sent me, andnone of you asks me, Where are you going?6But because I have said these things to you,sorrow has filled your heart.7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, forif I do not go away,the Helper will not come to you. ButifI go,I will send him to you.8And when he comes, he willconvict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:9concerning sin,because they do not believe in me;10concerning righteousness,because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;11concerning judgment, because the ruler of this worldis judged.12I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13Whenthe Spirit of truth comes,he willguide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, butwhatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.14He willglorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.15All that the Father has is mine;therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
18If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but becauseyou are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.20Remember the word that I said to 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.21Butall these things they will do to youon account of my name,because they do not know him who sent me.22If I had not come and spoken to them,they would not have been guilty of sin,but now they have no excuse for their sin.23Whoever hates me hates my Father also.24If I had not done among them the works that no one else did,they would not be guilty of sin, but now they haveseen and hated both me and my Father.25Butthe word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled:They hated me without a cause.26Butwhen the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father,he will bear witness about me....1I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away.2They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed,the hour is coming whenwhoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.3And they will do these thingsbecause they have not known the Father, nor me.4ButI have said these things to you, that whentheir hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
19Forthough I am free from all,I have made myself a servant to all, that I mightwin more of them.20To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.21Tothose outside the law I becameas one outside the law (not being outside the law of God butunder the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.22To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.I have become all things to all people, thatby all means I might save some.23I do it all for the sake of the gospel,that I may share with them in its blessings.
John 1 (ESV)1In the beginning wasthe Word, andthe Word was with God, andthe Word was God.2He was in the beginning with God.3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.4In him was life,[a]andthe life was the light of men.5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.6There was a mansent from God, whose name wasJohn.7He came as awitness, to bear witness about the light,that all might believe through him.8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.9The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yetthe world did not know him.11He came tohis own,[b]andhis own people[c]did not receive him.12But to all who did receive him,who believed in his name,he gave the rightto becomechildren of God,13whowere born,not of bloodnor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.14Andthe Wordbecame flesh anddwelt among us,and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[d]from the Father, full ofgrace andtruth.15(John bore witness about him, and cried out, This was he of whom I said,He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.)16For fromhis fullness we have all received,grace upon grace.[e]17Forthe law was given through Moses;grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.18No one has ever seen God;the only God,[f]who is at the Father's side,[g]he has made him known.The Testimony of John the Baptist19And this is thetestimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him,Who are you?20He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, I am not the Christ.21And they asked him, What then?Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Are youthe Prophet? And he answered, No.22So they said to him, Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?23He said, I amthe voice of one crying out in the wilderness, Make straight[h]the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said.24(Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)25They asked him,Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?26John answered them,I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,27evenhe who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.28These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.Behold, the Lamb of God29The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, Behold,the Lamb of God, whotakes away the sinof the world!30This is he of whom I said,After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.31I myself did not know him, butfor this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.32And Johnbore witness:I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, andit remained on him.33I myself did not know him, buthe who sent me to baptizewith water said to me, He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain,this is he who baptizeswith the Holy Spirit.34And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son[i]of God.Jesus Calls the First Disciples35The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples,36and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, Behold,the Lamb of God!37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.38Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them,What are you seeking?And they said to him,Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying?39He said to them,Come and you will see.So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.[j]40One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus[k]was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.41He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, We have foundthe Messiah (which means Christ).42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said,You are Simon the son ofJohn. You shall be calledCephas(which meansPeter[l]).Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael43The next day Jesus decidedto go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,Follow me.44NowPhilip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.45Philip foundNathanael and said to him, We have found him of whomMoses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesusof Nazareth,the son of Joseph.46Nathanael said to him,Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.47Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,Behold,an Israelite indeed,in whom there is no deceit!48Nathanael said to him, Howdo you know me? Jesus answered him,Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.49Nathanael answered him,Rabbi,you are the Son of God! You are theKing of Israel!50Jesus answered him,Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.51And he said to him,Truly, truly, I say to you,[m]you will seeheaven opened, andthe angels of God ascending and descending onthe Son of Man.
12This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.13Greater love has no one than this,that someone lay down his life for his friends.14You aremy friendsif you do what I command you.15No longer do I call you servants,for the servantdoes not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, forall that I have heard from my FatherI have made known to you.16You did not choose me, butI chose you and appointed you that you should go andbear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so thatwhatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.17These things I command you,so that you will love one another.
1I am thetrue vine, and my Father isthe vinedresser.2Every branch in me that does not bear fruithe takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes,that it may bear more fruit.3Alreadyyou are cleanbecause of the word that I have spoken to you.4Abidein me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5I am the vine;you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is thatbears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.6If anyone does not abide in mehe is thrown away like a branch and withers;and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.7Ifyou abide in me, and my words abide in you,ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8By this my Father is glorified, that youbear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.9As the Father has loved me,so have I loved you. Abide in my love.10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just asI have keptmy Father's commandments and abide in his love.11These things I have spoken to you,that my joy may be in you, and thatyour joy may be full.
1And you weredead in the trespasses and sins2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, followingthe prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work inthe sons of disobedience3among whom we all once lived inthe passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyand the mind, andwere by naturechildren of wrath, like the rest of mankind.4ButGod, beingrich in mercy,because of the great love with which he loved us,5evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses,made us alive together with Christby grace you have been saved6and raised us up with him andseated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurableriches of his grace inkindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8Forby grace you have been savedthrough faith. And this isnot your own doing;it is the gift of God,
15If you love me, you willkeep my commandments.16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you anotherHelper,to be with you forever,17eventhe Spirit of truth,whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you andwill bein you. 18I will not leave you as orphans;I will come to you.19Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, butyou will see me.Because I live, you also will live.20In that day you will know thatI am in my Father, andyou in me, andI in you.21Whoever has my commandments andkeeps them, he it is who loves me. Andhe who loves mewill be loved by my Father, and I will love him andmanifest myself to him.22Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, Lord, how is itthat you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?23Jesus answered him,If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, andwe will come to him andmake our home with him.24Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. Andthe word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. 25These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you.26But theHelper, the Holy Spirit,whom the Father will send in my name,he will teach you all things andbring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.27Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.Let not your hearts be troubled, neitherlet them be afraid.28You heard me say to you,I am going away, and I will come to you. If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because Iam going to the Father, forthe Father is greater than I.29Andnow I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.30I will no longer talk much with you, forthe ruler of this world is coming.He has no claim on me,31but I doas the Father has commanded me,so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
1Let not your hearts be troubled.Believe in God;believe also in me.2Inmy Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you thatI go to prepare a place for you?3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take youto myself, thatwhere I am you may be also.4And you know the way to where I am going.5Thomas said to him, Lord,we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?6Jesus said to him,I amthe way, andthe truth, andthe life. No one comes to the Father except through me.7If you had known me, you would haveknown my Father also.From now on you do know him andhave seen him. 8Philip said to him, Lord,show us the Father, and it is enough for us.9Jesus said to him,Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, Show us the Father?10Do you not believe thatI am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to youI do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.11Believe me thatI am in the Father and the Father is in me, or elsebelieve on account of the works themselves. 12Truly, truly, I say to you,whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because Iam going to the Father.13Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, thatthe Father may be glorified in the Son.14If you ask meanything in my name, I will do it.
31When he had gone out, Jesus said,Now is the Son of Man glorified, andGod is glorified in him.32If God is glorified in him,God will also glorify him in himself, andglorify him at once.33Little children,yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and justas I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, Where I am going you cannot come.34A new commandmentI give to you,that you love one another:just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. 36Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where are you going?Jesus answered him,Where I am goingyou cannot follow me now,but you will follow afterward.37Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.38Jesus answered,Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you,the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.
18I am not speaking of all of you; I knowwhom I have chosen. Butthe Scripture will be fulfilled,He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.19I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.20Truly, truly, I say to you,whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 21After saying these things,Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified,Truly, truly, I say to you,one of you will betray me.22The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.23One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at tableat Jesus' side,24so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesusof whom he was speaking.25So that disciple,leaning back against Jesus, said to him, Lord, who is it?26Jesus answered,It is he to whom I will give this morsel of breadwhen I have dipped it.So when he had dipped the morsel,he gave it to Judas,the son of Simon Iscariot.27Then after he had taken the morsel,Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him,What you are going to do, do quickly.28Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.29Some thought that,because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, Buy what we needfor the feast, or that he shouldgive something to the poor.30So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out.And it was night.
1 Nowbeforethe Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew thathis hour had cometo depart out of this world to the Father,having lovedhis own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.2During supper, whenthe devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him,3Jesus, knowingthat the Father had given all things into his hands, and thathe had come from God andwas going back to God,4rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel,tied it around his waist.5Then hepoured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, Lord, do you wash my feet?7Jesus answered him,What I am doingyou do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.8Peter said to him, You shall never wash my feet. Jesus answered him,If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.9Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!10Jesus said to him,The one who has bathed does not need to wash,except for his feet,[a]but is completely clean. Andyou[b]are clean,but not every one of you.11For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said,Not all of you are clean. 12When he had washed their feet andput on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them,Do you understand what I have done to you?13You call meTeacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.14If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,you also ought to wash one another's feet.15For I have given you an example,that you also should do just as I have done to you.16Truly, truly, I say to you,a servant[c]is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.17If you know these things,blessed are you if you do them.
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God,to present your bodiesas a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed bythe renewal of your mind, that by testing you maydiscern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Gifts of Grace 3Forby the grace given to me I say to everyone among younot to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment,each according tothe measure of faith that God has assigned.4Foras in one body we have many members,and the members do not all have the same function,5so we,though many,are one body in Christ, and individuallymembers one of another.6Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: ifprophecy,in proportion to our faith;7ifservice, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity;the one who leads,with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, withcheerfulness. Marks of the True Christian 9Let love be genuine.Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.10Love one another with brotherly affection.Outdo one another in showing honor.11Do not be slothful in zeal,be fervent in spirit,serve the Lord.
11Andhe gave theapostles, the prophets, theevangelists, theshepherdsand teachers,12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, forbuilding upthe body of Christ,13until we all attain tothe unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,to mature manhood,to the measure of the stature ofthe fullness of Christ,14so that we may no longer be children,tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness indeceitful schemes.15Rather,speaking the truth in love, we are togrow up in every way into him who isthe head, into Christ,16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
7Beloved,let us love one another, for love is from God, andwhoever loves has been born of God and knows God.8Anyone who does not love does not know God, becauseGod is love.9In this the love of God was made manifest among us, thatGod sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.10In this is love,not that we have loved Godbut that he loved us and sent his Son to bethe propitiation for our sins.11Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us andhis love is perfected in us. 13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.14Andwe have seen and testify thatthe Father has sent his Son to be the Savior ofthe world.
20Our fathers worshiped onthis mountain, but you say thatin Jerusalem isthe place where people ought to worship.21Jesus said to her,Woman, believe me,the hour is coming whenneither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.22You worship what you do not know;we worship what we know, forsalvation isfrom the Jews.23Butthe hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Fatherin spirit andtruth, for the Fatheris seeking such people to worship him.24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.25The woman said to him, I know thatMessiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes,he will tell us all things.26Jesus said to her,I who speak to you am he.
John 15:1-11 (ESV) 1I am thetrue vine, and my Father isthe vinedresser.2Every branch in me that does not bear fruithe takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes,that it may bear more fruit.3Alreadyyou are cleanbecause of the word that I have spoken to you.4Abidein me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5I am the vine;you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is thatbears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.6If anyone does not abide in mehe is thrown away like a branch and withers;and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.7Ifyou abide in me, and my words abide in you,ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.8By this my Father is glorified, that youbear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.9As the Father has loved me,so have I loved you. Abide in my love.10If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just asI have keptmy Father's commandments and abide in his love.11These things I have spoken to you,that my joy may be in you, and thatyour joy may be full.
1Then I sawa new heaven and a new earth, forthe first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.2And I sawthe holy city,new Jerusalem,coming down out of heaven from God,preparedas a bride adorned for her husband.3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold,the dwelling placeof God is with man. He willdwell with them, and they will be his people,and God himself will be with them as their God.4He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, anddeath shall be no more,neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. 5Andhe who was seated on the throne said, Behold, Iam making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, forthese words are trustworthy and true.6And he said to me,It is done!I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.7The one who conquers will have this heritage, andI will be his God andhe will be my son.8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,their portion will be inthe lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which isthe second death. The New Jerusalem 9Then cameone of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full ofthe seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, Come, I will show youthe Bride, the wife of the Lamb.10Andhe carried me away in the Spirit toa great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,11having the glory of God,its radiancelike a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.12It had a great, high wall,with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates.14And the wall of the city had twelvefoundations, andon them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15And the one who spoke with mehad a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.16The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.Its length and width and height are equal.17He also measured its wall, 144 cubitsbyhuman measurement, which is alsoan angel's measurement.18The wall was built ofjasper, while the city was pure gold, likeclear glass.19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald,20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, andthe street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. 22AndI saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.23And the cityhas no need of sun or moon to shine on it, forthe glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.24By its lightwill the nations walk, and the kings of the earthwill bring their glory into it,25andits gates will never be shut by dayandthere will be no night there.26They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.27Butnothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb'sbook of life.
The Resurrection Body 35But someone will ask,How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?36You foolish person!What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.37And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.38But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.39For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.40There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.41There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. 42So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.43It is sown in dishonor;it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.45Thus it is written,The first man Adam became a living being;the last Adam became alife-giving spirit.46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.47The first man was from the earth,a man of dust;the second man is from heaven.48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven,so also are those who are of heaven.49Justas we have borne the image of the man of dust,we shallalso bear the image of the man of heaven. Mystery and Victory 50I tell you this, brothers:flesh and bloodcannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.51Behold! I tell you a mystery.We shall not all sleep,but we shall all be changed,52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. Forthe trumpet will sound, andthe dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.53For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, andthis mortal body must put on immortality.54When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
Death is swallowed up in victory.55O death, where is your victory?O death, where is your sting?
56The sting of death is sin, andthe power of sin is the law.57But thanks be to God,who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding inthe work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lordyour labor is not in vain.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
1Thevision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalemin the days ofUzziah,Jotham,Ahaz, andHezekiah, kings of Judah.
2Hear, O heavens, and give ear, Oearth;for theLordhas spoken:Childrenhave I reared and brought up,but they have rebelled against me.3The oxknows its owner,and the donkey its master's crib,but Israel doesnot know,my people do not understand.
4Ah, sinful nation,a people laden with iniquity,offspring of evildoers,children who deal corruptly!They have forsaken theLord,they havedespisedthe Holy One of Israel,they are utterlyestranged.
5Why will you still bestruck down?Why will youcontinue to rebel?The whole head is sick,and the whole heart faint.6From the sole of the foot even to the head,there is no soundness in it,but bruises and soresand raw wounds;they arenot pressed out or bound upor softened with oil.
7Your country lies desolate;your cities are burned with fire;in your very presenceforeigners devour your land;it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.8Andthe daughter of Zion is leftlike abooth in a vineyard,like a lodge in a cucumber field,like a besieged city.
9If theLordof hostshad not left usa few survivors,we should have been likeSodom,and become likeGomorrah.
10Hear the word of theLord,you rulers ofSodom!Give ear to the teachingof our God,you people ofGomorrah!11What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?says theLord;I have had enough of burnt offerings of ramsand the fat of well-fed beasts;I do not delight in the blood of bulls,or of lambs, or of goats.
12When you come toappear before me,who has required of youthis trampling of my courts?13Bring no more vain offerings;incense is an abomination to me.New moon and Sabbath and thecalling of convocationsI cannot endureiniquity andsolemn assembly.14Yournew moons and your appointed feastsmy soul hates;they have become a burden to me;I am weary of bearing them.15When youspread out your hands,I will hide my eyes from you;even though you make many prayers,I will not listen;your hands are full of blood.16Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;cease to do evil,17learn to do good;seek justice,correct oppression;bring justice to the fatherless,plead the widow's cause.
18Come now,let us reasontogether, says theLord:though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be aswhite as snow;though they are red like crimson,they shall become like wool.19If you are willing and obedient,you shall eat the good of the land;20but if you refuse and rebel,you shall be eaten by the sword;for the mouth of theLordhas spoken.
28And we know that for those who love God all things work togetherfor good,[h]forthose who are called according to his purpose.29For those whom heforeknew he alsopredestinedto be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might bethe firstborn among many brothers.30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he alsojustified, and those whom he justified he alsoglorified.
1And you weredead in the trespasses and sins2in which you once walked, following the course of this world, followingthe prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work inthe sons of disobedience3among whom we all once lived inthe passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the bodyand the mind, andwere by naturechildren of wrath, like the rest of mankind.4ButGod, beingrich in mercy,because of the great love with which he loved us,5evenwhen we were dead in our trespasses,made us alive together with Christby grace you have been saved6and raised us up with him andseated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurableriches of his grace inkindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8Forby grace you have been savedthrough faith. And this isnot your own doing;it is the gift of God,9not a result of works,so that no one may boast.
1Now whenthe adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to theLord, the God of Israel,2they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' houses and said to them, Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him eversince the days ofEsarhaddon king of Assyriawho brought us here.3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses in Israel said to them,You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to theLord, the God of Israel,as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us. 4Thenthe people of the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build5and bribed counselors against them to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Nowthe serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that theLordGod had made. 1He said to the woman, Did God actually say, Youshall not eat of any tree in the garden?2And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,3but God said,You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.4But the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die.5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,she took of its fruitand ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her,and he ate.7Then the eyes of both were opened,and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8And they heard the sound of theLordGod walking in the garden in the coolof the day, and the man and his wifehid themselves from the presence of theLordGod among the trees of the garden.9But theLordGod called to the man and said to him, Where are you?10And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid,because I was naked, and I hid myself.11He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?12The man said,The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.13Then theLordGod said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said,The serpent deceived me, and I ate. 14TheLordGod said to the serpent,
Because you have done this,cursed are you above all livestockand above all beasts of the field;on your belly you shall go,anddust you shall eatall the days of your life.15I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspringandher offspring;he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.
16To the woman he said,
I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;in pain you shall bring forth children.Your desire shall be contrary toyour husband,but he shallrule over you.
17And to Adam he said,
Because you have listened to the voice of your wifeand have eaten of the treeof which I commanded you,You shall not eat of it,cursed is the ground because of you;in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;and you shall eat the plants of the field.19By the sweat of your faceyou shall eat bread,till you return to the ground,for out of it you were taken;for you are dust,andto dust you shall return.
Psalm 100 (ESV)
1Make a joyful noise to theLord, all the earth!2Serve theLordwith gladness!Come into his presence with singing!
3Know thattheLord, he is God!It is he whomade us, andwe are his;we are hispeople, andthe sheep of his pasture.
4Enter his gates with thanksgiving,and hiscourts with praise!Give thanks to him;bless his name!
5For theLordis good;his steadfast love endures forever,and hisfaithfulness to all generations.
1In thebeginning, God created the heavens and the earth.2The earth waswithout form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3And God said,Let there be light, and there was light.4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6And God said,Let there be an expanse[a]in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.7And God made[b]the expanse andseparated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that wereabove the expanse. And it was so.8And God called the expanse Heaven.[c]And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9And God said,Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so.10God called the dry land Earth,[d]and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11And God said,Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants[e]yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth. And it was so.12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.13And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be forsigns and forseasons,[f]and for days and years,15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. And it was so.16And Godmade the two great lightsthe greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the nightand the stars.17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,18torule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. 20And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds[g]fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.21SoGod created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.22And God blessed them, saying,Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. 24And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kindslivestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so.25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26Then God said,Let us make man[h]in our image,after our likeness. Andlet them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
27So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them.
28And God blessed them. And God said to them,Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.29And God said, Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit.You shall have them for food.30Andto every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so.31And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
10Forwe are his workmanship,created in Christ Jesusfor good works,which God prepared beforehand,that we should walk in them.
1Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and howhe had killed all the prophets with the sword.2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying,So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.3Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came toBeersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree.And he asked that he might die, saying, It is enough; now, OLord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.5And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, Arise and eat.6And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.7And the angel of theLordcame again a second time and touched him and said, Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.8And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that foodforty days and forty nights toHoreb, the mount of God. TheLordSpeaks to Elijah 9There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold,the word of theLordcame to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?10He said, I have been veryjealous for theLord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant,thrown down your altars, andkilled your prophets with the sword,and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.11And he said, Go out andstand on the mount before theLord. And behold, theLordpassed by, anda great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before theLord, but theLordwas not in the wind. And after the windan earthquake, but theLordwas not in the earthquake.12And after the earthquake a fire, but theLordwas not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.[a]13And when Elijah heard it,he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold,there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah?14He said,I have been very jealous for theLord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant,thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.15And theLordsaid to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.16And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, andElisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.17And the one who escapes fromthe sword of Hazaelshall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehushall Elisha put to death.18Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has notkissed him.
9And he began to tell the people this parable:A man planteda vineyard andlet it out to tenants andwent into another country for a long while.10When the time came, he sent a servant[a]to the tenants, so thatthey would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed.11Andhe sent another servant. But they also beat andtreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.12And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out.13Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send mybeloved son; perhaps they will respect him.14But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves,This is the heir.Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.15And theythrew him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?16He willcome and destroy those tenants andgive the vineyard to others.When they heard this, they said, Surely not!17But helooked directly at them and said,What then is this that is written:
The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone?[b]
18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it fallson anyone, it will crush him.
11As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and becausethey supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.12He said therefore,A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return.13Callingten of his servants,[a]he gave them ten minas,[b]and said to them, Engage in businessuntil I come.14Buthis citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, We do not want this man to reign over us.15When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business.16The first came before him, saying, Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.17And he said to him, Well done, good servant![c]Because you have beenfaithful in a very little,you shall have authority over ten cities.18And the second came, saying, Lord, your mina has made five minas.19And he said to him, And you are to be over five cities.20Then another came, saying, Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away ina handkerchief;21for I was afraid of you, because you area severe man. You takewhat you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.22He said to him,I will condemn you with your own words,you wicked servant! You knew that I wasa severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow?23Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?24And he said to those who stood by, Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.25And they said to him, Lord, he has ten minas!26I tell you thatto everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.27Butas for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here andslaughter them before me.
9He also told this parable to somewho trustedin themselves that they were righteous,and treated others with contempt:10Two menwent up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11The Pharisee,standing by himself, prayedthus: God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.12I fast twice a week;I give tithes of all that I get.13But the tax collector,standing far off,would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, butbeat his breast, saying, God,be merciful to me, a sinner!14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. Foreveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven,holding in his hand the key tothe bottomless pit[a]and a great chain.2And he seizedthe dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, andbound him for a thousand years,3and threw him intothe pit, and shut it andsealed it over him, so thathe might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. 4Then I sawthrones, andseated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I sawthe souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and thosewho had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.They came to life andreigned with Christ for a thousand years.5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.6Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over suchthe second death has no power, but they will bepriests of God and of Christ, and theywill reign with him for a thousand years. The Defeat of Satan 7And when the thousand years are ended,Satan will be released from his prison8and will come outto deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth,Gog and Magog,to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.9Andthey marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surroundedthe camp of the saints andthe beloved city, butfire came down from heaven[b]and consumed them,10and the devilwho had deceived them wasthrown into the lake of fire and sulfur wherethe beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Judgment Before the Great White Throne 11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presenceearth and sky fled away, andno place was found for them.12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, andbooks were opened. Then another book was opened, which isthe book of life. Andthe dead were judged by what was written in the books,according to what they had done.13And the sea gave up the dead who were in it,Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them,according to what they had done.14ThenDeath and Hadeswere thrown into the lake of fire. This isthe second death, the lake of fire.15And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,he was thrown into the lake of fire.
1And he told them a parable to the effect that they oughtalways to pray and notlose heart.2He said,In a certain city there was a judge whoneither feared God nor respected man.3And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Give me justice against my adversary.4For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself,Though I neither fear God nor respect man,5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.6And the Lord said,Hear what the unrighteous judge says.7Andwill not God give justice tohis elect,who cry to him day and night?Will he delay long over them?8I tell you, he will give justice to themspeedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes,will he find faith on earth?
7Will any one of you who has a servant[a]plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, Come at once and recline at table?8Will he not rather say to him, Prepare supper for me, anddress properly,[b]and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink?9Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?10So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, We areunworthy servants;[c]we have only done what was our duty.
Luke 16:19-31 (ESV) 19There was a rich man who was clothed inpurple and fine linen andwho feasted sumptuously every day.20And at his gatewas laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,21who desired to be fed withwhat fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.22The poor man died and was carried bythe angelsto Abraham's side.[a]The rich man also died and was buried,23and inHades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes andsaw Abraham far off and Lazarusat his side.24And he called out,Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water andcool my tongue, forI am in anguish in this flame.25But Abraham said, Child, remember thatyou in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.27And he said, Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house28for I have five brothersso that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.29But Abraham said, They haveMoses and the Prophets;let them hear them.30And he said, No,father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.31He said to him, If they do not hearMoses and the Prophets,neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
Luke 16:1-15 (ESV) He also said to the disciples,There was a rich man who hada manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions.2And he called him and said to him, What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of yourmanagement, for you can no longer be manager.3And the manager said to himself, What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.4I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he said to the first, How much do you owe my master?6He said, A hundred measures[a]of oil. He said to him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.7Then he said to another, And how much do you owe? He said, A hundred measures[b]of wheat. He said to him, Take your bill, and write eighty.8The master commended the dishonest manager for hisshrewdness. Forthe sons of this world[c]aremore shrewd in dealing with their own generation thanthe sons of light.9And I tell you,make friends for yourselves by means ofunrighteous wealth,[d]so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. 10One who isfaithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.11If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?12And if you have not been faithful inthat which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?13No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. The Law and the Kingdom of God 14The Pharisees, who werelovers of money, heard all these things, and theyridiculed him.15And he said to them,You are those whojustify yourselves before men, butGod knows your hearts. For what is exalted among menis an abomination in the sight of God.
1 Corinthians 15:1-9 1Now I would remind you, brothers,[a]of the gospelI preached to you, which you received,in which you stand,2and by whichyou are being saved, if youhold fast to the word I preached to youunless you believed in vain. 3ForI delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ diedfor our sinsin accordance with the Scriptures,4that he was buried, that he was raisedon the third dayin accordance with the Scriptures,5and thathe appeared to Cephas, thento the twelve.6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.7Then he appeared toJames, thento all the apostles.8Last of all, as to one untimely born,he appeared also to me.9ForI am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, becauseI persecuted the church of God.
Luke 15:11-32 (ESV) 11And he said,There was a man who had two sons.12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give methe share of property that is coming to me. And he dividedhis property between them.13Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property inreckless living.14And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.15So he went and hired himself out to[a]one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.16And hewas longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17Butwhen hecame to himself, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father,I have sinned againstheaven and before you.19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.20And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, andran andembraced him andkissed him.21And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.I am no longer worthy to be called your son.[b]22But the father said to his servants,[c]Bring quicklythe best robe, and put it on him, and puta ring on his hand, andshoes on his feet.23And bringthe fattened calf and kill it, andlet us eat and celebrate.24For this my sonwas dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to celebrate. 25Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.27And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.28But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,29but he answered his father, Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I mightcelebrate with my friends.30But when this son of yours came,who has devouredyour property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!31And he said to him, Son,you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.32It was fittingto celebrate and be glad, for this your brotherwas dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.
16From now on, therefore,we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.17Therefore, if anyone isin Christ, he isa new creation.[b]The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.18All this is from God,who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave usthe ministry of reconciliation;19that is, in Christ God was reconciling[c]the world to himself,not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to usthe message of reconciliation.20Therefore,we are ambassadors for Christ,God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.21For our sake he made him to be sinwho knew no sin, so that in him we might becomethe righteousness of God.
Luke 15:1-10 (ESV) 1Nowthe tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.2And the Pharisees and the scribesgrumbled, saying,This man receives sinners andeats with them. 3So he told them this parable:4What man of you, having a hundred sheep,if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-ninein the open country, andgo after the one that is lost, until he finds it?5And when he has found it,he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.6And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, Rejoice with me, forI have found my sheep that was lost.7Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner whorepents than over ninety-ninerighteous persons who need no repentance. The Parable of the Lost Coin 8Or what woman, having ten silver coins,[a]if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.10Just so, I tell you, there is joy beforethe angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Luke 14:25-33 (ESV) 25Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them,26If anyone comes to me anddoes not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters,yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.27Whoever does notbear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.28For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does notfirst sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,30saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.31Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will notsit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?32And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.33So therefore, any one of you whodoes not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:12-24 12He said also to the man who had invited him,When you givea dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers[a]or your relatives or rich neighbors,lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.13But when you give a feast,invitethe poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,14and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaidatthe resurrection of the just. 15When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him,Blessed is everyone who willeat bread in the kingdom of God!16But he said to him,A man oncegave a great banquet and invited many.17And at the time for the banquet hesent his servant[b]to say to those who had been invited, Come, for everything is now ready.18But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.19And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.20And another said,I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.21So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring inthe poor and crippled and blind and lame.22And the servant said, Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.23And the master said to the servant, Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.24For I tell you,[c]none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.
Luke 13:18-30 (ESV) The Mustard Seed and the Leaven 18He said therefore,What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?19It is likea grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches. 20And again he said,To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?21It is like leaven that a woman took and hid inthree measures of flour, until it wasall leavened. The Narrow Door 22He went on his way through towns and villages, teaching andjourneying toward Jerusalem.23And someone said to him, Lord,will those who are saved be few? And he said to them,24Striveto enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.25When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying,Lord, open to us, then he will answer you,I do not know where you come from.26Then you will begin to say,We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.27But he will say, I tell you,I do not know where you come from.Depart from me, all you workers of evil!28In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you seeAbraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God butyou yourselves cast out.29Andpeople will come from east and west, and from north and south, andrecline at table in the kingdom of God.30And behold,some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.
Luke 13:1-9 (ESV)1 There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And he answered them, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree6 And he told this parable: A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground? 8 And he answered him, Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.
Luke 12:35-48 (ESV) 35Stay dressed for action[a]andkeep your lamps burning,36and be like men who arewaiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes andknocks.37Blessed are those servants[b]whom the master findsawake when he comes. Truly, I say to you,he will dress himself for service andhave them recline at table, and he will come and serve them.38If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants!39But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hourthe thief was coming, he[c]would not have left his house to be broken into.40You also must beready, forthe Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 41Peter said, Lord,are you telling this parable for us or for all?42And the Lord said,Who then isthe faithful andwisemanager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time?43Blessed is that servant[d]whom his master will find so doing when he comes.44Truly, I say to you,he will set him over all his possessions.45But if that servant says to himself, My masteris delayed in coming, and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink andget drunk,46the master of that servant will comeon a day when he does not expect him andat an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful.47And that servant whoknew his master's will butdid not get readyor act according to his will, will receive asevere beating.48But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating,will receive a light beating.Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.
Luke 12:13-21 (ESV) 13Someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.14But he said to him,Man,who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?15And he said to them,Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.16And he told them a parable, saying,The land of a rich man produced plentifully,17and he thought to himself,What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?18And he said, I will do this: I will tear down mybarns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.19And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid upfor many years; relax,eat, drink, be merry.20But God said to him,Fool!This nightyour soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared,whose will they be?21So is the onewho lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
Luke 11:1-13 (ESV) 1Now Jesus[a]was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray,as John taught his disciples.2And he said to them,When you pray, say:
Father,hallowed beyour name.Your kingdom come.3Give useach day our daily bread,[b]4andforgive us our sins,for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.Andlead us not into temptation.
5And he said to them,Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves,6for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him;7and he will answer from within, Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything?8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anythingbecause he is his friend, yet because of his impudence[c]he will rise and give him whatever he needs.9And I tell you,ask, andit will be given to you;seek, and you will find;knock, and it will be opened to you.10For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.11What father among you, if his son asks for[d]a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;12or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?13If you then,who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Fathergive the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!
Luke 10:25-37 (ESV) 25And behold, alawyer stood up toput him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do toinherit eternal life?26He said to him,What is written in the Law? How do you read it?27And he answered,You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, andyour neighbor as yourself.28And he said to him,You have answered correctly;do this, and you will live. 29But he,desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?30Jesus replied,A manwas going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.31Now by chance apriest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.32So likewisea Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33But aSamaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.34He went to him andbound up his wounds, pouring onoil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.35And the next day he took out twodenarii[a]and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.36Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?37He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him,You go, and do likewise.
Luke 8:1-15 (ESV) 8Soon afterward he went onthrough cities and villages, proclaiming andbringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,2and alsosome women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities:Mary, called Magdalene,from whom seven demons had gone out,3andJoanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them[a]out of their means. The Parable of the Sower 4And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,5A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.6And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up,it withered away, because it had no moisture.7And some fell amongthorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.8And some fell into good soil and grew and yieldeda hundredfold.As he said these things, he called out,He who has ears to hear, let him hear. The Purpose of the Parables 9And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,10he said,To you it has been given to knowthe secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, sothat seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.11Now the parable is this: The seed isthe word of God.12The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may notbelieve and be saved.13And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive itwith joy. But these have no root; theybelieve for a while, and in time of testingfall away.14And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, butas they go on their way they are choked by thecares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.15As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, andbear fruitwith patience.
Luke 7:36-50 (ESV) 36One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at table.37And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,38and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears andwiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.39Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, Ifthis man werea prophet, hewould have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.40And Jesus answering said to him,Simon, I have something to say to you.And he answered, Say it, Teacher. 41A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundreddenarii, and the other fifty.42When they could not pay, hecancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?43Simon answered, The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt. And he said to him,You have judged rightly.44Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon,Do you see this woman? I entered your house;you gave me no water for my feet, butshe has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.45You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased tokiss my feet.46You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.47Therefore I tell you, her sins,which are many, are forgivenfor she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.48And he said to her,Your sins are forgiven.49Then those who were at table with him began to say among[a]themselves,Who is this, who even forgives sins?50And he said to the woman,Your faith has saved you;go in peace.
Luke 5:33-39 ESV 33And they said to him,The disciples of Johnfast often andoffer prayers,and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.34And Jesus said to them,Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?35The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, andthen they will fast in those days.36He also told them a parable:No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.37And no one puts new wine into oldwineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed.38But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.39And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, The old is good.
Mark 1:16-20 (ESV) 16Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.17And Jesus said to them,Follow me, and I will make you becomefishers of men.[a]18And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.20And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
Matthew 2:1-12 (ESV) 1Nowafter Jesus was born inBethlehem of Judeain the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a]fromthe east came to Jerusalem,2saying, Where is he who has been bornking of the Jews? For we sawhis star when it rose[b]and have come toworship him.3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;4and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them wherethe Christ was to be born.5They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a rulerwho willshepherd my people Israel.
7Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.8And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.9After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.11And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures,they offered him gifts,gold andfrankincense andmyrrh.12Andbeing warnedin a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
John 1:1-14 (ESV) 1In the beginning wasthe Word, andthe Word was with God, andthe Word was God.2He was in the beginning with God.3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.4In him was life,andthe life was the light of men.5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6There was a mansent from God, whose name wasJohn.7He came as awitness, to bear witness about the light,that all might believe through him.8He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yetthe world did not know him.11He came tohis own,andhis own peopledid not receive him.12But to all who did receive him,who believed in his name,he gave the rightto becomechildren of God,13whowere born,not of bloodnor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14Andthe Wordbecame flesh anddwelt among us,and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Sonfrom the Father, full ofgrace andtruth.
Matthew 1 (ESV) 1The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,the son of David,the son of Abraham. 2Abraham was the father of Isaac, andIsaac the father of Jacob, andJacob the father of Judah and his brothers,3andJudah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,4and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,5and Salmon the father of Boaz byRahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,6andJesse the father of David the king. AndDavid was the father of Solomon bythe wife of Uriah,7andSolomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,8and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,and Joram the father of Uzziah,9and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,10and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,and Amos the father of Josiah,11andJosiah the father ofJechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12And after the deportation to Babylon:Jechoniah was the father ofShealtiel,andShealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,13and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,14and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,15and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,16and Jacob the father ofJoseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon tothe Christ fourteen generations. 18Now the birth ofJesus Christtook place in this way.When his mother Mary had been betrothedto Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with childfrom the Holy Spirit.19And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwillingto put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.20But as he considered these things, behold,an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.21She will bear a son, andyou shall call his name Jesus,for he will save his people from their sins.22All this took placeto fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall call his nameImmanuel
(which means, Godwith us).24When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife,25but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. Andhe called his name Jesus.
2 Peter 3:13-18 (ESV) 13But according to his promise we are waiting fornew heavens and a new earthin which righteousness dwells. 14Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by himwithout spot orblemish, andat peace.15And countthe patience of our Lord as salvation, just asour beloved brother Paul also wrote to youaccording to the wisdom given him,16as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction,as they do the other Scriptures.17You therefore, beloved,knowing this beforehand,take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.18Butgrow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.To him be the glory both now and to the day ofeternity. Amen.
2 Peter 3:11-13 (ESV) 11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved,what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, andthe heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!13But according to his promise we are waiting fornew heavens and a new earthin which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:1-10 (ESV) 1This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of themI am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,2that you should remember the predictions ofthe holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles,3knowing this first of all, that scoffers will comein the last days with scoffing,following their own sinful desires.4They will say, Where is the promise ofhis coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.5For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earthwas formed out of water and through waterby the word of God,6and that by means of these the world that then existedwas deluged with water andperished.7But by the same wordthe heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment anddestruction of the ungodly. 8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, anda thousand years as one day.9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promiseas some count slowness, butis patient toward you,[a]not wishing that any should perish, butthat all should reach repentance.10Butthe day of the Lord will come like a thief, and thenthe heavens will pass away with a roar, andthe heavenly bodies[b]will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.[c]
2 Peter 2:20-22 (ESV) 20For if,after they have escaped the defilements of the worldthrough the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome,the last state has become worse for them than the first.21Forit would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back fromthe holy commandment delivered to them.22What the true proverb says has happened to them: Thedog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.
2 Peter 2:10-19 (ESV) 10and especiallythose who indulgein the lust of defiling passion anddespise authority. Bold and willful, they do not trembleas they blaspheme the glorious ones,11whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.12But these, like irrational animals,creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,13suffering wrong asthe wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasureto revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,whilethey feast with you.14They have eyes full of adultery,insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have heartstrained in greed.Accursed children!15Forsaking the right way,they have gone astray. They have followedthe way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who lovedgain from wrongdoing,16but was rebuked for his own transgression;a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 17These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm.For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.18For,speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barelyescaping from those who live in error.19They promise themfreedom,but they themselves are slavesof corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.
2 Peter 2:4-10 (ESV) 4For if God did not spareangels when they sinned, butcast them into helland committed them to chainsof gloomy darknessto be kept until the judgment;5if he did not spare the ancient world, butpreserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he broughta flood upon the world of the ungodly;6if byturning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction,making them an example ofwhat is going to happen to the ungodly;7andif he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked8(for as that righteous man lived among them day after day,he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);9thenthe Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,10and especiallythose who indulgein the lust of defiling passion anddespise authority. Bold and willful, they do not trembleas they blaspheme the glorious ones,
Acts 3:1-10 (ESV) 1Now Peter and John weregoing up to the temple atthe hour of prayer,the ninth hour.2And a manlame from birth was being carried,whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gateto ask alms of those entering the temple.3Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.4And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, Look at us.5And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.6But Peter said,I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you.In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!7And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.8Andleaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.9Andall the people saw him walking and praising God,10and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
2 Peter 2:1-3 (ESV) 1Butfalse prophets also arose among the people,just as there will be false teachers among you, who willsecretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Masterwho bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.2And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truthwill be blasphemed.3Andin their greed they will exploit youwith false words.Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
2 Peter 1:16-21 (ESV) 16For we did not followcleverly devisedmyths when we made known to youthe power andcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ, butwe were eyewitnesses of his majesty.17For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory,This is my beloved Son,[a]with whom I am well pleased,18we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him onthe holy mountain.19Andwe have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attentionas to a lamp shining in a dark place, untilthe daydawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,20knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.21Forno prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from Godas they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:10-15 (ESV) 10Therefore, brothers,[a]be all the more diligent to confirm your calling andelection, for if you practice these qualitiesyou will never fall.11For in this way there will be richly provided for youan entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 12Therefore I intendalways to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established inthe truth that you have.13I think it right, as long as I am in thisbody,[b]to stir you up by way of reminder,14since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon,as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.15And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
2 Peter 1:5-9 (ESV) 5For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faithwith virtue,and virtuewith knowledge,6and knowledge with self-control, and self-controlwith steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,7and godlinesswith brotherly affection, and brotherly affectionwith love.8For if these qualitiesare yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective orunfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.9For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that heis blind, having forgotten that he wascleansed from his former sins.
2 Peter 1:1-4 (ESV) 1SimeonPeter, a servantand apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtaineda faith of equal standing with oursby the righteousness of ourGod and Savior Jesus Christ: 2May grace and peace be multiplied to youin the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Confirm Your Calling and Election 3His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of himwho called us tohis own glory and excellence,4by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may becomepartakers of the divine nature,having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Matthew 16:13-23 (ESV) 13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,Who do people say that the Son of Man is?14And they said, Some sayJohn the Baptist, others sayElijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.15He said to them,But who do you say that I am?16Simon Peter replied,You arethe Christ,the Son ofthe living God.17And Jesus answered him,Blessed are you,Simon Bar-Jonah! Forflesh and blood has not revealed this to you,but my Father who is in heaven.18And I tell you,you are Peter, andon this rockI will build my church, andthe gates ofhellshall not prevail against it.19I will give youthe keys of the kingdom of heaven, andwhatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosedin heaven.20Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 21From that time Jesus began to show his disciples thathe must go to Jerusalem andsuffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and onthe third day be raised.22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord!This shall never happen to you.23But he turned and said to Peter,Get behind me, Satan! You area hindranceto me. For youare not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
1 Peter 5:8-14 (ESV) 8Be sober-minded;be watchful. Youradversary the devilprowls aroundlike a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.9Resist him,firm in your faith, knowing thatthe same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.10Andafter you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to hiseternal glory in Christ, will himselfrestore,confirm, strengthen, and establish you.11To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 12BySilvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him,I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this isthe true grace of God.Stand firm in it.13She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so doesMark, my son.14Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
1 Peter 5:5-7 (ESV) 5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, forGod opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,7casting all your anxieties on him, becausehe cares for you.
1 Peter 5:1-5 (ESV) 1So I exhort the elders among you,as a fellow elder anda witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:2shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;not for shameful gain, but eagerly;3notdomineering over those in your charge, butbeing examples to the flock.4And whenthe chief Shepherd appears, you will receive theunfadingcrown of glory.5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, forGod opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
1 Peter 4:12-19 (ESV) 12Beloved, do not be surprised atthe fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.13But rejoiceinsofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be gladwhen his glory is revealed.14If you are insultedfor the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of gloryand of God rests upon you.15Butlet none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer oras a meddler.16Yetif anyone suffers as aChristian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify Godin that name.17For it is time for judgmentto begin at the household of God; andif it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those whodo not obey the gospel of God?18And
If the righteous is scarcely saved,what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?
19Therefore let those who suffer according to God's willentrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
1 Peter 4:7-11 (ESV) 7The end of all things is at hand; thereforebe self-controlled and sober-mindedfor the sake of your prayers.8Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, sincelove covers a multitude of sins.9Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.10As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,as good stewards of God's varied grace:11whoever speaks, as one who speaksoracles of God; whoever serves, as one who servesby the strength that God suppliesin order that in everythingGod may be glorified through Jesus Christ.To him belong glory anddominion forever and ever. Amen.
Matthew 9:35-38 (ESV) 35And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.36When he saw the crowds,he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless,like sheep without a shepherd.37Then he said to his disciples,The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;38thereforepray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest tosend out laborers into his harvest.
1 Peter 4:1-6 (ESV) 1Since thereforeChrist suffered in the flesh,arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, forwhoever has suffered in the fleshhas ceased from sin,2so as to live forthe rest of the time in the fleshno longer for human passions butfor the will of God.3For the time that is pastsufficesfor doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.4With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood ofdebauchery, andthey malign you;5but they will give account to him who is readyto judge the living and the dead.6For this is whythe gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.
1 Peter 3:18-22 (ESV) 18For Christ alsosufferedonce for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,that he might bring us to God, being put to deathin the flesh but made alivein the spirit,19in whichhe went andproclaimedto the spirits in prison,20becausethey formerly did not obey,when God's patience waited in the days of Noah,while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is,eight persons, were brought safely through water.21Baptism, which corresponds to this,now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body butas an appeal to God for a good conscience,through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,22who has gone into heaven andis at the right hand of God,with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
1 Peter 3:13-17 (ESV) 13Nowwho is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?14But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.Have no fear of them,nor be troubled,15butin your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness andrespect,16having a good conscience, so that,when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.17Forit is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
1 Peter 3:8-12 (ESV) 8Finally, all of you,have unity of mind, sympathy,brotherly love,a tender heart, anda humble mind.9Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary,bless, forto this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.10For
Whoever desires to love lifeand see good days,let him keep his tongue from eviland his lips from speaking deceit;11let him turn away from evil and do good;let him seek peace and pursue it.12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,and his ears are open to their prayer.But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
1 Peter 3:1-7 (ESV) 1Likewise, wives,be subject to your own husbands, so thateven if some do not obey the word,they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,2when they see yourrespectful and pure conduct.3Do not let your adorning be externalthe braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear4but let your adorning bethe hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.5For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,6as Sarah obeyed Abraham,calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good anddo not fear anything that is frightening. 7Likewise,husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weakervessel, since they are heirs with youof the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
1 Peter 2:18-25 (ESV) 18Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.19For this is a gracious thing, when,mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.20For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? Butif when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.21Forto this you have been called,because Christ also suffered for you,leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten,but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that wemight die to sin andlive to righteousness.By his wounds you have been healed.25Foryou were straying like sheep, but have now returned tothe Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
1 Peter 2:13-17 (ESV) 13Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,whether it be to the emperoras supreme,14or to governors as sent by himto punish those who do evil andto praise those who do good.15For this is the will of God,that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.16Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, butliving as servantsof God.17Honor everyone.Love the brotherhood.Fear God. Honor the emperor.
1 Peter 2:11-12 (ESV) 11Beloved, I urge youas sojourners and exilesto abstain from the passions of the flesh,which wage war against your soul.12Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers,they may see your good deeds and glorify God onthe day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:4-10 (ESV) 4As you come to him, a living stonerejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,5you yourselves like living stones are being built up asa spiritual house, to bea holy priesthood,to offer spiritual sacrificesacceptable to God through Jesus Christ.6For it stands in Scripture:
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.
7So the honor is for you whobelieve, but for those whodo not believe,
The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone,
8and
A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense.
They stumble because they disobey the word,as they were destined to do. 9But you area chosen race,a royalpriesthood,a holy nation,a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called youout of darkness intohis marvelous light.10Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1 Peter 2:1-3 1So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritualmilk, that by it you may grow up into salvation3if indeed you havetasted that the Lord is good.
1 Peter 1:22-25 (ESV) 22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth fora sincere brotherly love,love one another earnestly from a pure heart,23since you have been born again,not of perishable seed but of imperishable, throughthe living and abiding word of God;24for
All flesh is like grassand all its glory like the flower of grass.The grass withers,and the flower falls,25but the word of the Lord remains forever.
And this wordis the good news that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:17-21 | Thriving in Exile: In Awe of God 17And if youcall on him as Father whojudgesimpartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselveswith fear throughout the time of your exile,18knowing that youwere ransomed fromthe futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,19butwith the precious blood of Christ, like that ofa lambwithout blemish or spot.20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world butwas made manifestin the last times for the sake of you21who through him are believers in God,who raised him from the dead andgave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (ESV) 13Therefore,preparing your minds for action,andbeing sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.14As obedient children,do not be conformed to the passionsof your former ignorance,15butas he who called you is holy, you also be holyin all your conduct,16since it is written,You shall be holy, for I am holy.
1 Peter 1:8-12 (ESV) 8Though you have not seen him, you love him.Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,9obtainingthe outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10Concerning this salvation,the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,11inquiringwhat person or timethe Spirit of Christ in them was indicatingwhen he predictedthe sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.12It was revealed to them thatthey were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to youby the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,things into which angels long to look.
1 Peter 1:3-7 (ESV) 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!According to his great mercy,he has caused us to be born again to a living hopethrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4toan inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, andunfading,kept in heaven for you,5who by God's power are being guardedthrough faith for a salvationready to be revealed in the last time.6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved byvarious trials,7so thatthe tested genuineness of your faithmore precious than gold that perishesthough it is tested byfiremay be found to result inpraise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:1-2 1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles ofthe Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,2according tothe foreknowledge of God the Father,in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ andfor sprinkling with his blood: Maygrace andpeace be multiplied to you.
Luke 24:36-53 (ESV) 36As they were talking about these things,Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them,Peace to you!37But they werestartled andfrightened andthought they saw a spirit.38And he said to them,Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?39See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.40And when he had said this,he showed them his hands and his feet.41And while they still disbelievedfor joy and were marveling,he said to them,Have you anything here to eat?42They gave him a piece of broiled fish,43and he took it and ate before them. 44Then he said to them,These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.45Thenhe opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,46and said to them,Thusit is written,that the Christ should suffer and on the third dayrise from the dead,47and thatrepentance forthe forgiveness of sins should be proclaimedin his nameto all nations,beginning from Jerusalem.48You are witnesses of these things.49And behold, I am sendingthe promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until youare clothed withpowerfrom on high. 50Andhe led them out as far asBethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.51While he blessed them,he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.52And theyworshiped him andreturned to Jerusalemwith great joy,53andwere continually in the templeblessing God.
Matthew 21 (ESV) 1Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, tothe Mount of Olives, then Jesussent two disciples,2saying to them,Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.3If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, The Lord needs them, and he will send them at once.4This took placeto fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5Say to the daughter of Zion,Behold, your king is coming to you,humble, and mounted on a donkey,on a colt,the foal of a beast of burden.
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them.7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them.8Most of the crowdspread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting,Hosanna tothe Son of David!Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosannain the highest!10Andwhen he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, Who is this?11And the crowds said, This isthe prophet Jesus,from Nazareth of Galilee. 12And Jesus entered the templeand drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables ofthe money-changers and the seats of those who soldpigeons.13He said to them,It is written,My house shall be called a house of prayer, butyou make it a den of robbers. 14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple,Hosanna to the Son of David! they were indignant,16and they said to him, Do you hear what these are saying? And Jesus said to them,Yes;have you never read,
Out of the mouth ofinfants and nursing babiesyou have prepared praise?
17Andleaving them, hewent out of the city toBethany and lodged there. 18In the morning, as he was returning to the city,he became hungry.19And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it,May no fruit ever come from you again!And the fig tree withered at once. 20When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How did the fig tree wither at once?21And Jesus answered them,Truly, I say to you,if you have faith anddo not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain,Be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen.22Andwhatever you ask in prayer, you will receive,if you have faith. 23And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to himas he was teaching, and said,By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?24Jesus answered them,I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things.25The baptism of John,from where did it come?From heaven or from man?And they discussed it among themselves, saying, If we say, From heaven, he will say to us,Why then did you not believe him?26But if we say, From man,we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John wasa prophet.27So they answered Jesus, We do not know. And he said to them,Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 28What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, Son, go and work inthe vineyard today.29And he answered, I will not, but afterward hechanged his mind and went.30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, I go, sir, but did not go.31Which of the two did the will of his father?They said, The first. Jesus said to them,Truly, I say to you,the tax collectors andthe prostitutes go intothe kingdom of God before you.32For John came to youin the way of righteousness, andyou did not believe him, butthe tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterwardchange your minds and believe him. 33Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planteda vineyardand put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower andleased it to tenants, andwent into another country.34When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servantsto the tenantsto get his fruit.35And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, andstoned another.36Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, They will respect my son.38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves,This is the heir. Come,let us kill him and have his inheritance.39And they took him andthrew him out of the vineyard and killed him.40When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?41They said to him,He will put those wretches to a miserable death andlet out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons. 42Jesus said to them,Have you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;this was the Lord's doing,and it is marvelous in our eyes?
43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of Godwill be taken away from you and given to a peopleproducing its fruits.44Andthe one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; andwhen it falls on anyone, it will crush him. 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.46Andalthough they were seeking to arrest him,they feared the crowds, because they held him to bea prophet.
Colossians 3:11-17 (ESV) 11Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,free; but Christ isall, and in all. 12Put on then, asGod's chosen ones, holy and beloved,compassionate hearts,kindness,humility, meekness, and patience,13bearing with one another and,if one has a complaint against another,forgiving each other;as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.14And above all these put onlove, whichbinds everything together inperfect harmony.15And letthe peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were calledin one body. Andbe thankful.16Letthe word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,with thankfulness in your hearts to God.17Andwhatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) 18And Jesus came and said to them,All authorityin heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Go therefore andmake disciples ofall nations,baptizing theminthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20teaching themto observe all thatI have commanded you. And behold,I am with you always, tothe end of the age.
Acts 2:42-47 (ESV) 42Andthey devoted themselves to the apostles'teaching and thefellowship, tothe breaking of bread and the prayers.43And awecame upon every soul, andmany wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.44And all who believed were together andhad all things in common.45Andthey were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.46And day by day,attending the templetogether andbreaking bread in their homes, they received their foodwith glad and generous hearts,47praising God andhaving favor with all the people. And the Lordadded to their numberday by day those whowere being saved.
1 Corinthians 1:1-13 (ESV) Greeting 1Paul,calledby the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to thosesanctified in Christ Jesus,called to be saints together with all those who in every placecall upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanksgiving 4Igive thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,5that in every wayyou were enriched in him in allspeech and all knowledge6even asthe testimony about Christ was confirmed among you7so that you are not lacking in any gift, as youwait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,8who will sustain you to the end,guiltlessin the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.9God is faithful, by whom you were called into thefellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Divisions in the Church 10I appeal to you, brothers,by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be nodivisions among you, but that you be unitedin the same mind and the same judgment.11For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there isquarreling among you, my brothers.12What I mean is thateach one of you says, I follow Paul, or I followApollos, or I followCephas, or I follow Christ.13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were youbaptized in the name of Paul?
Guest Speaker: Jacob Jackson, Church Planter, Covenant Life Church Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV) The Supremacy of God's Son 1Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,2butin these last dayshe has spoken to us byhis Son, whom he appointedthe heir of all things,through whom also he createdthe world.3He is the radiance of the glory of God andthe exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.After making purification for sins,he sat downat the right hand of the Majesty on high,4having become as much superior to angels as the namehe has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Matthew 7:24-29 (NASB95) The Two Foundations 24Thereforeeveryone who hears these words of Mine andacts on them,may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.25And the rain fell, and thefloods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; andyetit did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.26Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does notact on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.27The rain fell, and thefloods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it felland great was its fall. 28When Jesus had finished these words,the crowds were amazed at His teaching;29for He was teaching them asonehaving authority, and not as their scribes.