Master’s Luopan

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You Were Never Meant to Follow Their Rules – Alan Watts on Natural Law

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=wp2vy7X7cpE
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The People’s Republic of China a Prayer & Petition of Intercession

中华人民共和国

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“A Single Sunbeam is Enough to Drive Away Many Shadows.“
                                             –  St. Francis of Assisi

Chosen By Lot. 
An Appeal for Wisdom & Maturity.  For those Stiring up Strife. 
A Mandate from the Masses Not Take Part In All the General Lamentations and Get Everyone Churned Up
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Tom Day – Who We Want To Be

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVomQtrtMTM
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“He who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart; even quarreling and insults will cease.“
–  Proverbs 22    ” A common saying, old adage, maxim”   “words put forth“

Τ Ε Λ Ο Σ

Of Great Legislation
That is Not Corrupt & Cruel.
To  “Make a “law.” “Ordaine”  “Statute”  
Something Laid Down, Set, Fixed, or Established.
According to or Concerned with the Laws of a Country. 
A Proposition Which Expresses the Regular Order of Things.  A Relative Position, Direction.  rank, series,
A “Cause to Stand” “Set Up.”  “Establish.”  “usage”  “way”  “straight” “upright” “true,” “fitting,”  “arrangement”  “manner”  “custom” 

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Confucius together with Moses and Muhammad among the greatest legislators of the past.

by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse (1827), Louvre Palace.
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The system of rules which a particular country or community recognizes
as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties.  
A statement of fact, deduced from observation, to the effect that a particular natural or scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present.   

Confucius

Born Kong Qiu, Confucius was a Chinese philosopher
who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages.

“Study the past if you would define the future.”

“Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.”

“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order; we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”

“If your plan is for one year plant rice. If your plan is for ten years plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years educate children. ”

“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.”

“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”

“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

“Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.”

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”

“Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall”.

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”

“He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.”

“To see what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.”

“The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort.”

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The Chainsmokers – Hope ft. Winona Oak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJOgTMP8cs4
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Eastern and Western Relations.
A Journey of Culture.  Examples of Disloyalty & Loyalty.
Kindling a Light in the Darkness.   Moments of Shared Understanding.
Earthly.  Elemental.  Ancestral.  Natural.  Ceremonial.  Ritualistic.  Celestial.
Is Balance Weakness?  Peace is Not Balance Here.   A Call to Maturity & Endurance.

From The Hermetic Tradition.  Of Classical Antiquity

He filled a great mixing bowl with it and sent it below, appointing a herald whom he commanded to make the following proclamation to human hearts: ‘Immerse yourself in the mixing bowl if your heart has the strength, if it believes you will rise up again to the one who sent the mixing bowl below, if it recognizes the purpose of your coming to be.’ 

All those who heeded the proclamation and immersed themselves in mind participated in knowledge and became perfect people because they received mind.  “But those who missed the point of the proclamation are people of reason because they did not receive (the gift of) mind as well and do not know the purpose or the agents of their coming to be.  These people have sensations much like those of unreasoning animals, and, since their temperament is willful and angry, they feel no awe of things that deserve to be admired; they divert their attention to the pleasures and appetites of their bodies; and they believe that mankind came to be for such purposes.

“But those who participate in the gift that comes from god, O Tat, are immortal rather than mortal if one compares their deeds, for in a mind of their own they have comprehended all—things on earth, things in heaven and even what lies beyond heaven. Having raised themselves so far, they have seen the good and, having seen it, they have come to regard the wasting of time here below as a calamity. They have scorned every corporeal and incorporeal thing, and they hasten toward the one and only.

“This, Tat, is the way to learn about mind, to {resolve perplexities} in divinity and to understand god. For the mixing bowl is divine”

Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus
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Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus

Attributed to Stefano di Giovanni (1488)

(Floor inlay in the Cathedral of Siena )

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–
(Citation Source)
HERMETICA
The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin
Asclepius in a new English translation, with
notes and introduction
BRIAN P. COPENHAVER
Pg. 93 – 94

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Ancient Wisdom & Guidance from Classical Antiquity

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An Archaic Definition of God.

That There Exists A Single, True Theology Which is Present in All Religions. Given by God to humankind in the distant, primeval past.

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Hermes Trismegistus

Attributed to Stefano di Giovanni (1488)

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      “The master of eternity is the first god, the world is second, mankind is third. God is maker of the world and all it contains, governing all things along with mankind, who governs what is composite. Taking responsibility for the whole of this – the proper concern of his attentiveness – mankind brings it about that he and the world are ornaments to one another so that, on account of mankind’s divine composition, it seems right to call him a well ordered  world,

“If you wish also to gaze upon him, look at the order of the cosmos and the careful arrangement of this order; look at the necessity of the heavenly phenomena and the providence in what has come to be and what comes to be; look at matter, completely full of life, and a great god moving along with all beings good and fair – gods and demons and humans.”“If you wish also to gaze upon him, look at the order of the cosmos and the careful arrangement of this order; look at the necessity of the heavenly phenomena and the providence in what has come to be and what comes to be; look at matter, completely full of life, and a great god moving along with all beings good and fair – gods and demons and humans.”

(Citation Source)
HERMETICA
The Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin
Asclepius in a new English translation, with
notes and introduction
BRIAN P. COPENHAVER
Pg. 81 , 128

“This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You,
who will prepare Your way.”   “A voice of one calling in the wilderness,  ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,  make straight paths for Him.’ 
–  Mark 1   “consecrated to the god Mars”  “God of war”  “to be warlike“ “boundary, limit; sign, landmark”  “to denote” “sign, omen, aim”  “margin”I persevere in demonstrating among you the “marks” of a true apostle, including signs, miracles and wonders.

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Τ έ λ ο ς
“It is Written.“
To Those Who Live by Faith, Not by Sight.
“Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll.“
This is the Covenant I Will Make With Them After That Time
I Will put my Laws in Their Hearts, and I Will Write Them on Their Minds.
Although I am Less Than the Least of all the Lord’s People, this Grace Was Given Me.
I Only Ask you to Look at What is Obvious Because I am Only a Poor Man and Little Known.
In Reading This, Then, You will be Able to Understand my Insight Into the Mystery of Christ & The Gospel.
The Word has Become Flesh.  Riches Found in Hidden Places.  Called By Name.  The Boundless Manifold Wisdom of Christ.  The Transfiguration.
Salvation is Found in No One Else, for There is No Other Name Under Heaven Given to Mankind by Which we Must be Saved.  (Oh That’s Right, I Went There.)
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John Williams –  Indiana Jones – Main Theme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntXJJwEk1NA
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“There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history”
                                                                      –  Sir Isaac Newton
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As Above, So Below.

A Special Civil Operation :  Pragmatic Idealism

On Earth as it is In Heaven.  A Biblical Renewal of All Things.

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Hello Mr.  President Xi Jinping,

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Τ Ε Λ Ο Σ

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Thank You For Your attention.  My name is Mark Rich.  I am an American Citizen from New York.
The reason why I am here is to help discern how humanity might survive this technological adolescence without us destroying ourselves.
For your consideration, an interpretation of the times.  Spoken to you through the words of the holy author of our religeon.  All in combination with wisdom from our ancestors.
To Find a path in this wilderness towards more harmonious social relationships between those holders of power & responsibility.  For Leaders of Wisdom, Moderation & Courage.

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Building a Mystery.
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Taking it from an Eleveated Perspective.
There is something that has been trying to complete itself through human beings.
To use human beings as its vehicle.  Again and again, a fire is being built.  Some kind of wholeness trying to assemble itself.
The process is for serving some further end and I am the beginning of this transformation.  How is your curiosity?  How is your Sense of adventure.

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Using the Past to Serve the Present.
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“Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.  Without speech or language,
without a sound to be heard, their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun.“
–  Psalm 19

As a true son of David, I have been called to provide you this weighty testimony for the churches because the times have reached their fulfillment.  The following is a Millennial Vision of the gospel of the kingdom as “It is Written.”   The object of which is to usher forth the creation of a political move so sweeping as to immortalize the reign and legacy of all involved.  The Super Bowl of politicking.  A cosmic tidal wave.  Shall we finish the remaining bit together?  Call it “The Rose Bowl?”  Your servant is listening. I Am Your “Freeman.”  “Free” as in “The Absence of restraint.”  Free in all the ways you are not.  The People’s grand reset to change the game.  I hope this offering is acceptable to you.

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“As it is Written.“
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I have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us in The Bible.  (“The Books“).  I have studied the Scriptures diligently, calling the past to account.  Of what was promised by our ancestors long ago.  Of what God said through his holy prophets (Isaiah).  In the spirit of prophecy, I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, adding one thing to another to discover the general scheme of things.  Thus, I present this orderly account for you so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.  I only ask you to look at what is obvious.  The word which was ordained for a thousand generations has been proved right.  As if “He” is making His Appeal “to us” by working “through us“.  

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Not “of the Letter”  but  “of the Spirit.“
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As the “Archivist” and “Compiler” of These Collections of Books, I am not allowed to take credit for these words.  Only the arrangement.  I have pondered, searched out, and arranged many accurate words of truth.  Words of Wisdom that None of Your Adversaries Will be Able to Resist or Contradict.  This is Sound learning, worthy of full acceptance.  Great truths common to all mankind,   “Anthologies of the Masters.”  If you were to Accept This Coming Pattern of Teaching Which has Now Claimed your Allegiance.

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Beyond Philosophy.  Beyond Legalism.
Provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.  The Flourishing of the Righteous.
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As I have sown much and harvested little.  I pray the word does not come back to me void.
That once my time of service is completed, that this hard working farmer, will be able to take part in the harvest.  As One cannot serve both God and money at the same time.

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A Call to Maturity and Endurance.  Sin, Confession, Redemption.  “Penance.”
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I assume You are aware of my humble circumstances.  May those who seek You not be dishonored through me.  I have remained in seclusion for obvious reasons, as no doubt I will be subjected to public humiliation. By those who get a kick out of criticising others.  Such Merciless and destructive criticism threaten the very foundations of truth.  They undermine much of what has already been generally accepted.  I will endure the scorn and the chastisement for the sake of the elect.  Perhaps one’s favor will be enough to take away my disgrace among the people.  Neverthless, It is the work upon which I stand.  Leave Out All the Rest.

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My Hypocrisy Only Goes So Far.
My Conscience is Clear That but That Does Not Make M<e Innocent.  
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|Knock Knock, Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

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Bob Moses – Enough to Believe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqcbMlyPK48
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Gladiator – Now We Are Free Super Theme Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yOZEiHLuVU

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Star Trek Dimensions

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/R2WdLJeBwpc

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The Key to Effective Leadership

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rSwVC-OK9AM

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Confucian Wooden Clapper Bell

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“Heaven will instruct the master like a wooden-clapper bell (to awaken everyone to the Way)”. An analogy is made between the master (in the phrase, Confucius himself) who resonates with the order of Heaven which inspires him, and the bell, as if Heaven were the clapper and the master were the bell.

The wooden-clapper bell is also an actual instrument that was used to gather people by ancient Chinese administrations, is used for ritual, and by analogy it means the purpose of Confucianism, that is to preach and educate people to the right values.

 

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Proverbs 29
” A common saying, old adage, maxim”   “words put forth“
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(Berean Standard Bible)

The Flourishing of the Righteous

A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof

will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.

When the righteous flourish, the people rejoice,

but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,

but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

By justice a king brings stability to the land,

but a man who exacts tribute demolishes it.

A man who flatters his neighbor

spreads a net for his feet.

An evil man is caught by his own sin,

but a righteous one sings and rejoices.

The righteous consider the cause of the poor,

but the wicked have no regard for such concerns.

Mockers inflame a city,

but the wise turn away anger.

If a wise man goes to court with a fool,

there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.

Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man,

but the upright care for his life.

A fool vents all his anger,

but a wise man holds it back.

If a ruler listens to lies,

all his officials will be wicked.

The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:

The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.

A king who judges the poor with fairness—

his throne will be established forever.

A rod of correction imparts wisdom,

but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

When the wicked thrive, rebellion increases;

but the righteous will see their downfall.

Discipline your son, and he will give you rest;

he will bring delight to your soul.

Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint;

but blessed is he who keeps the Law.

A servant cannot be corrected by words alone;

though he understands, he will not respond.

Do you see a man who speaks in haste?

There is more hope for a fool than for him.

A servant pampered from his youth

will bring grief in the end.

An angry man stirs up dissension,

and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

A man’s pride will bring him low,

but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

A partner to a thief hates his own soul;

he receives the oath but does not testify.

The fear of man is a snare,

but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,

but a man receives justice from the LORD.

An unjust man is detestable to the righteous,

and one whose way is upright is detestable to the wicked.

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Job 12
(“hated, persecuted”   “enmity”  ” the penitent one.”  “he was hostile to“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Job Presents His Case

Then Job answered:

“Truly then you are the people

with whom wisdom itself will die!

But I also have a mind;

I am not inferior to you.

Who does not know such things as these?

I am a laughingstock to my friends,

though I called on God, and He answered.

The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.

The one at ease scorns misfortune

as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

The tents of robbers are safe,

and those who provoke God are secure—

those who carry their god in their hands.

But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;

ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you.

Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;

let the fish of the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know

that the hand of the LORD has done this?

The life of every living thing is in His hand,

as well as the breath of all mankind.

Does not the ear test words

as the tongue tastes its food?

Wisdom is found with the elderly,

and understanding comes with long life.

Wisdom and strength belong to God;

counsel and understanding are His.

What He tears down cannot be rebuilt;

the man He imprisons cannot be released.

If He holds back the waters, they dry up,

and if He releases them, they overwhelm the land.

True wisdom and power belong to Him.

The deceived and the deceiver are His.

He leads counselors away barefoot

and makes fools of judges.

He loosens the bonds placed by kings

and fastens a belt around their waists.

He leads priests away barefoot

and overthrows the established.

He deprives the trusted of speech

and takes away the discernment of elders.

He pours out contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings deep shadows into light.

He makes nations great and destroys them;

He enlarges nations, then disperses them.

He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason

and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

They grope in the darkness without light;

He makes them stagger like drunkards.

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Ecclesiastes 3
(“one who addresses an assembly”  “speaker in an assembly or church, preacher”  “to call out“)
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(New International Version)

A Time for Everything

What do workers gain from their toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.  I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.  That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

And I saw something else under the sun.

I said to myself,

I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.  Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.  All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.  Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

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2 Peter 1
“stone, rock“
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(New International Version)

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.  I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.  And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.  Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

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1 Peter 5
“stone, rock“
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(New International Version)

To the Elders and the Flock

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed:  Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.  And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.  Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

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Luke  1
( “tepid”  “warm”  “Bringer of light“)
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(New International Version)

Introduction

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.  With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.  Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.  But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.  And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.  When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.  But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.  He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,  for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.  He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.  And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple.  When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

When his time of service was completed, he returned home.  After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.  “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.  For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

And Mary said:

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son.  Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah,  but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.  He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”  Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.  All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.  Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

And the child grew and became strong in spirit ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

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Isaiah 54
“salvation of the Lord” “salvation, deliverance“
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(English Standard Version)

The Eternal Covenant of Peace

“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.
For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left,
and your offspring will possess the nations
and will people the desolate cities.

“Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;
be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced;
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
For your Maker is your husband,
the Lord of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.
For the Lord has called you
like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit,
like a wife of youth when she is cast off,
says your God.

For a brief moment I deserted you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing anger for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the Lord, your Redeemer.

“This is like the days of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you,
and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
behold, I will set your stones in antimony,
and lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacles of agate,
your gates of carbuncles,
and all your wall of precious stones.
All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the peace of your children.
In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear;
and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.
Behold, I have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon for its purpose.
I have also created the ravager to destroy;
no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed,
and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

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Galatians 5
(“an inhabitant of ancient Gaul“    “a gaul”   “a frenchman“)
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(New International Version)

Freedom in Christ

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all.  Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law.  You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace.  For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?  That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.  “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”  I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty.  Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished.  As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Life by the Spirit

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.  Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

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1 Corinthians 1
(“point” “peak“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Greetings from Paul and Sosthenes

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

I always thank my God for you because of the grace He has given you in Christ Jesus.  For in Him you have been enriched in every way, in all speech and all knowledge,  because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will sustain you to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

Unity in the Church

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction.  My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  What I mean is this: Individuals among you are saying, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?  I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius,  so no one can say that you were baptized into my name.  Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that I do not remember if I baptized anyone else.   For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with words of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

The Message of the Cross

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;

the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.

Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Wisdom from God

Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to nullify the things that are,  so that no one may boast in His presence.

It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

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Job 38
(“hated, persecuted”   “enmity”  ” the penitent one.”  “he was hostile to“)
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(New International Version)

The Lord Speaks

Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

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Psalm 78
“sacred poem or song“
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(Berean Standard Bible)

I Will Open My Mouth in Parables

A Maskil of Asaph.
“to gather”  “to collect“

 Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;

listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

that we have heard and known

and our fathers have relayed to us.

We will not hide them from their children

but will declare to the next generation

the praises of the LORD and His might

and the wonders He has performed.

For He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

that the coming generation would know them—

even children yet to be born—

to arise and tell their own children

that they should put their confidence in God,

not forgetting His works,

but keeping His commandments.

Then they will not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose heart was not loyal,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The archers of Ephraim

turned back on the day of battle.

They failed to keep God’s covenant

and refused to live by His law.

They forgot what He had done,

the wonders He had shown them.

He worked wonders before their fathers

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

He split the sea and brought them through;

He set the waters upright like a wall.

He led them with a cloud by day

and with a light of fire all night.

He split the rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.

He brought streams from the stone

and made water flow down like rivers.

But they continued to sin against Him,

rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

They willfully tested God

by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?

When He struck the rock, water gushed out

and torrents raged.

But can He also give bread

or supply His people with meat?”

Therefore the LORD heard

and was filled with wrath;

so a fire was kindled against Jacob,

and His anger flared against Israel,

because they did not believe God

or rely on His salvation.

Yet He commanded the clouds above

and opened the doors of the heavens.

He rained down manna for them to eat;

He gave them grain from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels;

He sent them food in abundance.

He stirred the east wind from the heavens

and drove the south wind by His might.

He rained meat on them like dust,

and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

He felled them in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings.

So they ate and were well filled,

for He gave them what they craved.

Yet before they had filled their desire,

with the food still in their mouths,

God’s anger flared against them,

and He put to death their strongest

and subdued the young men of Israel.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.

So He ended their days in futility,

and their years in sudden terror.

When He slew them, they would seek Him;

they repented and searched for God.

And they remembered that God was their Rock,

that God Most High was their Redeemer.

But they deceived Him with their mouths,

and lied to Him with their tongues.

Their hearts were disloyal to Him,

and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

And yet He was compassionate;

He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.

He often restrained His anger

and did not unleash His full wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh,

a passing breeze that does not return.

How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness

and grieved Him in the desert!

Again and again they tested God

and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

They did not remember His power —

the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

when He performed His signs in Egypt

and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

He turned their rivers to blood,

and from their streams they could not drink.

He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

and frogs that devastated them.

He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

the fruit of their labor to the locust.

He killed their vines with hailstones

and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

He abandoned their cattle to the hail

and their livestock to bolts of lightning.

He unleashed His fury against them,

wrath, indignation, and calamity—

a band of destroying angels.

He cleared a path for His anger;

He did not spare them from death

but delivered their lives to the plague.

He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,

the virility in the tents of Ham.

He led out His people like sheep

and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

He led them safely, so they did not fear,

but the sea engulfed their enemies.

He brought them to His holy land,

to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

He drove out nations before them

and apportioned their inheritance;

He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

But they tested and disobeyed God Most High,

for they did not keep His decrees.

They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,

twisted like a faulty bow.

They enraged Him with their high places

and provoked His jealousy with their idols.

On hearing it, God was furious

and rejected Israel completely.

He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent He had pitched among men.

He delivered His strength to captivity,

and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

He surrendered His people to the sword

because He was enraged by His heritage.

Fire consumed His young men,

and their maidens were left without wedding songs.

His priests fell by the sword,

but their widows could not lament.

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

He beat back His foes;

He put them to everlasting shame.

He rejected the tent of Joseph

and refused the tribe of Ephraim.

But He chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which He loved.

He built His sanctuary like the heights,

like the earth He has established forever.

He chose David His servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

from tending the ewes He brought him

to be shepherd of His people Jacob,

of Israel His inheritance.

So David shepherded them with integrity of heart

and guided them with skillful hands.

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Matthew 19
(“gift of Jehovah”)
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(New International Version)

Divorce

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan.  Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

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

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?   So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.  I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given.  For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”

The Little Children and Jesus

Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”

“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’  and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’  ”

“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

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Exodus 30
“a military expedition; a solemn procession; departure; death”  “a going out”   “a way, path, road; a ride, journey, march“
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(New International Version)

Jethro Visits Moses

Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt.

After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro received her and her two sons. One son was named Gershom, for Moses said, “I have become a foreigner in a foreign land”; and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, “My father’s God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”

Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, together with Moses’ sons and wife, came to him in the wilderness, where he was camped near the mountain of God.  Jethro had sent word to him, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. They greeted each other and then went into the tent.  Moses told his father-in-law about everything the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel’s sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the Lord had saved them.

Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians.  He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians.  Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.”  Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.

The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.  When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”

Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.  Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God’s decrees and instructions.”

Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good.  You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.  Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.  Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave.  But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.  If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.  He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.  They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

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 Revelation 19
“Disclosure of information or knowledge to man by a divine or supernatural agency.”
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Rejoicing in Heaven

After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven, shouting:

“Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!

For His judgments are true and just.

He has judged the great prostitute

who corrupted the earth with her immorality.

He has avenged the blood of His servants

that was poured out by her hand.”

And a second time they called out:

“Hallelujah!

Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne, saying:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”

Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God,

all you who serve Him,

and those who fear Him,

small and great alike!”

The Marriage of the Lamb

And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out:

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad

and give Him the glory.

For the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and His bride has made herself ready.

She was given clothing of fine linen,

bright and pure.”

For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

So I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

The Rider on the White Horse

Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.  He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.  He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is The Word of God.

The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.  And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter.  He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

Defeat of the Beast and False Prophet

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds flying overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,  so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army.  But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.  And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.

And all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

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Mark 1
“consecrated to the god Mars”  “God of war”  “to be warlike” “boundary, limit; sign, landmark”  “to denote” “sign, omen, aim”  “margin”
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(New International Version)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.  John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.  And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Jesus Announces the Good News

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.  “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”  At once they left their nets and followed him.

When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.  Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit

They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.  The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.  Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out,  “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”  The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.”  News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.  Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her.  So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.  The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was indignant.  He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning:  “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”  Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

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Mark 4
“consecrated to the god Mars”  “God of war”  “to be warlike” “boundary, limit; sign, landmark”  “to denote” “sign, omen, aim”  “margin”
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(New International Version)

The Parable of the Sower

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.  He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:  “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.   Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.  Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.  He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,

Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?   The farmer sows the word.  Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.  Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.   But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;  but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.   Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

A Lamp on a Stand

He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?   For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.  If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.   As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.  He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus Calms the Storm

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

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Matthew 13
(“gift of Jehovah”)
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(New International Version)

The Parable of the Sower

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.  Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.  Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.  This is why I speak to them in parables:

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.  For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The Parable of the Weeds

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.  So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.  They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.  When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.  This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor

When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.  Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.  “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?  Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”  And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

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Isaiah 5
“salvation of the Lord” “salvation, deliverance“
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(New International Version)

The Song of the Vineyard

Woes and Judgments

The Lord Almighty has declared in my hearing:

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Matthew 13
“gift of God.”
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The Parable of the Sower

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.   Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.   But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.   Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.  Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.  This is why I speak to them in parables:

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.   For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.   But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.   The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The Parable of the Weeds

Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field.  Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.  So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.  They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.  When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.  This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor

When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.  Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.  “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?  Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”  And they took offense at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬

Matthew 20
(“gift of Jehovah”)
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(New International Version)

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

“About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.  He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’  So they went.

“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.  About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’

“ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.  So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.  When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.  ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’

“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?  Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.  Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time

Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them,  “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

A Mother’s Request

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

“What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

“You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers.  Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Two Blind Men Receive Sight

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him.  Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

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Psalm 63
“sacred poem or song“
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(New King James Version)

Joy in the Fellowship of God

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

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Mark 12
“consecrated to the god Mars”  “God of war”  “to be warlike” “boundary, limit; sign, landmark”  “to denote” “sign, omen, aim”  “margin”
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(New International Version)

The Parable of the Tenants

Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

“He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

“But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’  So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.  Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.  They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?  Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”   They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.

Marriage at the Resurrection

Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.  “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.  Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children.  The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third.  In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too.  At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?”

Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?  When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.  Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ?   He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”

The Greatest Commandment

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   There is no commandment greater than these.”

“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.   To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

Whose Son Is the Messiah?

While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?   David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared:

David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd listened to him with delight.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces,  and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.   They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

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Matthew 21
(“gift of Jehovah”)
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(New International Version)

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,  saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.  They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.  A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Jesus at the Temple

Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.  “It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’  but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’  ”

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.  But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.

“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read,

And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.  Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.  John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’  But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

“ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants

“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.  When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

“The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third.  Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.  Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

“But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’  So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

“He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.  Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.” 

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them.  They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

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Romans 14
“of Rome“
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(New International Version)

The Weak and the Strong

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.  One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.  The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.  Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.  Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.  For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.  If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.  For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister?  Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.  It is written:

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.  I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.  If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.  Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,  because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.  Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.  It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.  But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

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2 Peter 3
“stone, rock“
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The Coming Judgment

Beloved, this is now my second letter to you. Both of them are reminders to stir you to wholesome thinking by recalling what was foretold by the holy prophets and commanded by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. “Where is the promise of His coming?” they will ask. “Ever since our fathers fell asleep, everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation.”

But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world of that time perished in the flood.  And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

The Day of the Lord

\Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Final Exhortations

Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight.

Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.  He writes this way in all his letters, speaking in them about such matters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Therefore, beloved, since you already know these things, be on your guard so that you will not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure standing.  But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.

Amen.

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Romans 15
(“of Rome”)
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(English Standard Version)

The Example of Christ

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.  For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”  For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.  May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Christ the Hope of Jews and Gentiles

For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,

“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”

And again it is said,

“Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

And again,

“Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples extol him.”

And again Isaiah says,

“The root of Jesse will come,
even he who arises to rule the Gentiles;
in him will the Gentiles hope.”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Paul the Minister to the Gentiles

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.  But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.  For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome

This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you.  But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.  At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.  For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.  When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.  I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company.  May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

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Galatians 6
(“an inhabitant of ancient Gaul“    “a gaul”   “a frenchman“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Carry One Another’s Burdens

Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.

Each one should test his own work. Then he will have reason to boast in himself alone, and not in someone else.  For each one should carry his own load. Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word must share in all good things with his instructor.

Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.  The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

Final Warnings and Blessings

See what large letters I am using to write to you with my own hand!

Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. They only do this to avoid persecution for the cross of Christ. For the circumcised do not even keep the law themselves, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast in your flesh.

But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.  For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything. What counts is a new creation.

Peace and mercy to all who walk by this rule, even to the Israel of God.

From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers.

Amen.

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Hebrews 10
(“a biblical Jew Israelite” “one from the other side“)
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(New International Version)

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.  Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.  But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins.  It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:

First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law.  Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,  and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.  For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:

Then he adds:

And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

A Call to Persevere in Faith

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.  Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”  It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering.  Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.  You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For,

And,

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

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Isaiah 65
“salvation of the Lord” “salvation, deliverance“
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(New International Version)

Judgment and Salvation

This is what the Lord says:

Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

New Heavens and a New Earth

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1  Thessalonians 5
“victory”
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(New International Version)

The Day of the Lord

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.  You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.  For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.  Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Final Instructions

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.  And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

Rejoice always,  pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

Brothers and sisters, pray for us.  Greet all God’s people with a holy kiss.  I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

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Psalm 116
“sacred poem or song“
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(New King James Version)

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

Hello World.
Thank You For Your Attention.  My Name Is Mark.
I Have Made Myself Nothing.  For “The Pride of Man.”  From the Top to the Bottom.  As Above, So Below.
“Those who are going to rule in the authoritative offices ought to have three things: first, affection for the established regime; next, a very great capacity for the work involved in rule; third, virtue and justice –  in each regime the sort that is relative to the regime… It is difficult to find all three of these in many men, but it is important for the regime to make use of the men with these qualities to the greatest degree possible, or else the regime will be harmed, either by sedition, incompetence, or corruption… While the virtuous also have a claim to rule, the very fact that they are virtuous leads them to avoid factional conflict.  They are also too small a group to be politically consequential.”
–   Aristotle

“States will never be happy until rulers become philosophers or philosophers become rulers.“
– PLATO, The Republic
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Christopher Tin – Sogno di Volare (“The Dream of Flight”) (Civilization VI Main Theme)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQYN2P3E06s

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Archetype:  ALCHEMIST

“Scientist”  “Psychologist”  “Logician”  “Strategist“
 “Researcher”  “Archivist”  “Compiler”  “Writer”   “Messenger”  “Teacher”  “Civil Servant”
“Watchman”   “Intercessor” “Tertiary Adjunct Witness.“

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History –  Culture
Religion  –  Theology – Eschatology
Psychology  –  Philosophy  –   Epistemology –  Linguistics  –  Literature
Etymology – – Philology –  Onomastics –  Toponymy –  Theurgy –  Hermetics – Hermeneutics 
Theophany – Theodicy –  Mythology – Cosmography – Stoichiometry – Sortition  – Ethnography  –  Folklore
Lexicography – Doxology – Phylogeny – Ontogeny –  Tropology –  Ontology –  Anthropology – Phenomenology – Praxeology –  Trust Law
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Dispute Resolution.
A Special Civil Operation.
The People Request a Coming & Going.
In Order To Make the Rough Places Smooth.
As a witness or mediator, umpire, judge. arbiter,   He who hears and Decides a Case.
A Special Citizen Who is Entitled to Participate in an Office Involving Deliberation or Decision.
A Person who has Power of Judging Absolutely According to his Own Pleasure in a Dispute or Issue.
To Be The One Chosen by Two Disputing Parties to Decide a Matter.  Someone who Settles Disputes.  One Who Goes Somewhere (as witness or judge).
As the Proposer of this new Motion/Law. I Request to be Used as a Spectator & Eye-Witnesses. A Right or Privilege Exclusive to a Particular Individual or Class.
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The End of Capitalism is Closer Than You Think

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0F2FyxVGfwo
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“The dread of evil is a much more forcible principle of human actions than the prospect of good.”
“It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of the truth.” 
                                                                                            –  John Locke

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1 Corinthians 14
(“point” “peak“)
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(Christian Standard Bible)

Prophecy: A Superior Gift

Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.  For the person who speaks in a tongue is not speaking to people but to God, since no one understands him; he speaks mysteries in the Spirit.  On the other hand, the person who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening,  encouragement, and consolation. The person who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.  I wish all of you spoke in tongues, but even more that you prophesied. The person who prophesies is greater than the person who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets so that the church may be built up.

So now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I speak to you with a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?  Even lifeless instruments that produce sounds — whether flute or harp — if they don’t make a distinction in the notes, how will what is played on the flute or harp be recognized?  In fact, if the bugle makes an unclear sound, who will prepare for battle?  In the same way, unless you use your tongue for intelligible speech, how will what is spoken be known? For you will be speaking into the air.  There are doubtless many different kinds of languages in the world, none is without meaning.  Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I will be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker will be a foreigner to me.  So also you — since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.

Therefore the person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he can interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with my understanding. I will sing praise with the spirit, and I will also sing praise with my understanding.  Otherwise, if you praise with the spirit,  how will the outsider say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not know what you are saying?  For you may very well be giving thanks, but the other person is not being built up.  I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Brothers and sisters, don’t be childish in your thinking, but be infants in regard to evil and adult in your thinking.  It is written in the law,

I will speak to this people

by people of other tongues

and by the lips of foreigners,

and even then, they will not listen to me,

says the Lord. Speaking in tongues, then, is intended as a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers.  If, therefore, the whole church assembles together and all are speaking in tongues and people who are outsiders or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?  But if all are prophesying and some unbeliever or outsider comes in, he is convicted by all and is called to account by all.  The secrets Of his heart will be revealed, and as a result he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is really among you.”

Order in Church Meetings

What then, brothers and sisters? Whenever you come together, each one has a hymn, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation.  Everything is to be done for building up.  If anyone speaks in a tongue, there are to be only two, or at the most three, each in turn, and let someone interpret.  But if there is no interpreter, that person is to keep silent in the church and speak to himself and God.   Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should evaluate, But if something has been revealed to another person sitting there, the first prophet should be silent.   For you can all prophesy one by one, so that everyone may learn and everyone may be encouraged.  And the prophets’ spirits are subject to the prophets,  since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

As in all the churches of the saints, the women should be silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak, but are to submit themselves, as the law also says.  If they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home, since it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.  Or did the word of God originate from you, or did it come to you only?

If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, he should recognize that what I write to you is the Lord’s command.  If anyone ignores this, he will be ignored.  So then, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.  But everything is to be done decently and in order.

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1 Corinthians 4
(“point” “peak“)
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(New International Version)

The Nature of True Apostleship

This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.  I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.  My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.  Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.

Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.  For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!  For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.  We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.  We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;  when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

Paul’s Appeal and Warning

I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.  Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you to imitate me.  For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.

Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you.  But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have.  For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.  What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of discipline, or shall I come in love and with a gentle spirit?

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Deuteronomy 30
“second law”  “after-law”  “assign, allot; take”  
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(New International Version)

Prosperity After Turning to the Lord

When all these blessings and curses I have set before you come on you and you take them to heart wherever the Lord your God disperses you among the nations, and when you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and with all your soul according to everything I command you today, then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you.  Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back.  He will bring you to the land that belonged to your ancestors, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your ancestors.  The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.  The Lord your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you.  You will again obey the Lord and follow all his commands I am giving you today.  Then the Lord your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

The Offer of Life or Death

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach.  It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”  Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?”  No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction.  For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them,  I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

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James 2
“one that takes by the heel; a supplanter“
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(New International Version)

Favoritism Forbidden

My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.  If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?  But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?  Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”  you are doing right.  But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.  For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”   also said, “You shall not murder.”  If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Deeds

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.  You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ?   Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”  and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?  As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

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Ephesians 5
(“overseer.“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Imitators of God

Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children, and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Children of Light

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,  for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.  Test and prove what pleases the Lord.

Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.  But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,  for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.  So it is said:

“Wake up, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,  redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Wives and Husbands

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.  Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her  to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,  and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.  For we are members of His body.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.  Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

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1 Timothy 1
(“honor, respect”  “Honoring God“)
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(Berean Standard Bible)

Paul’s Greeting to Timothy

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Correcting False Teachers

As I urged you on my departure to Macedonia, you should stay on at Ephesus to instruct certain men not to teach false doctrines or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculation rather than the stewardship of God’s work, which is by faith.

The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.  Some have strayed from these ways and turned aside to empty talk.  They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or that which they so confidently assert.

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately.  We realize that law is not enacted for the righteous, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for killers of father or mother, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching  that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

God’s Grace to Paul

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service.  I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.  And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.  But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.  Now to the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Timothy, my child, I entrust you with this command in keeping with the previous prophecies about you, so that by them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and thereby shipwrecked their faith.  Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

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Psalm 78
“sacred poem or song“
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(Berean Standard Bible)

I Will Open My Mouth in Parables

A Maskil of Asaph.
“to gather”  “to collect“

 Give ear, O my people, to my instruction;

listen to the words of my mouth.

I will open my mouth in parables;

I will utter things hidden from the beginning,

that we have heard and known

and our fathers have relayed to us.

We will not hide them from their children

but will declare to the next generation

the praises of the LORD and His might

and the wonders He has performed.

For He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

that the coming generation would know them—

even children yet to be born—

to arise and tell their own children

that they should put their confidence in God,

not forgetting His works,

but keeping His commandments.

Then they will not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

whose heart was not loyal,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The archers of Ephraim

turned back on the day of battle.

They failed to keep God’s covenant

and refused to live by His law.

They forgot what He had done,

the wonders He had shown them.

He worked wonders before their fathers

in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan.

He split the sea and brought them through;

He set the waters upright like a wall.

He led them with a cloud by day

and with a light of fire all night.

He split the rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink as abundant as the seas.

He brought streams from the stone

and made water flow down like rivers.

But they continued to sin against Him,

rebelling in the desert against the Most High.

They willfully tested God

by demanding the food they craved.

They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness?

When He struck the rock, water gushed out

and torrents raged.

But can He also give bread

or supply His people with meat?”

Therefore the LORD heard

and was filled with wrath;

so a fire was kindled against Jacob,

and His anger flared against Israel,

because they did not believe God

or rely on His salvation.

Yet He commanded the clouds above

and opened the doors of the heavens.

He rained down manna for them to eat;

He gave them grain from heaven.

Man ate the bread of angels;

He sent them food in abundance.

He stirred the east wind from the heavens

and drove the south wind by His might.

He rained meat on them like dust,

and winged birds like the sand of the sea.

He felled them in the midst of their camp,

all around their dwellings.

So they ate and were well filled,

for He gave them what they craved.

Yet before they had filled their desire,

with the food still in their mouths,

God’s anger flared against them,

and He put to death their strongest

and subdued the young men of Israel.

In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;

despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.

So He ended their days in futility,

and their years in sudden terror.

When He slew them, they would seek Him;

they repented and searched for God.

And they remembered that God was their Rock,

that God Most High was their Redeemer.

But they deceived Him with their mouths,

and lied to Him with their tongues.

Their hearts were disloyal to Him,

and they were unfaithful to His covenant.

And yet He was compassionate;

He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them.

He often restrained His anger

and did not unleash His full wrath.

He remembered that they were but flesh,

a passing breeze that does not return.

How often they disobeyed Him in the wilderness

and grieved Him in the desert!

Again and again they tested God

and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

They did not remember His power —

the day He redeemed them from the adversary,

when He performed His signs in Egypt

and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.

He turned their rivers to blood,

and from their streams they could not drink.

He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

and frogs that devastated them.

He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

the fruit of their labor to the locust.

He killed their vines with hailstones

and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

He abandoned their cattle to the hail

and their livestock to bolts of lightning.

He unleashed His fury against them,

wrath, indignation, and calamity—

a band of destroying angels.

He cleared a path for His anger;

He did not spare them from death

but delivered their lives to the plague.

He struck all the firstborn of Egypt,

the virility in the tents of Ham.

He led out His people like sheep

and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

He led them safely, so they did not fear,

but the sea engulfed their enemies.

He brought them to His holy land,

to the mountain His right hand had acquired.

He drove out nations before them

and apportioned their inheritance;

He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.

But they tested and disobeyed God Most High,

for they did not keep His decrees.

They turned back and were faithless like their fathers,

twisted like a faulty bow.

They enraged Him with their high places

and provoked His jealousy with their idols.

On hearing it, God was furious

and rejected Israel completely.

He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,

the tent He had pitched among men.

He delivered His strength to captivity,

and His splendor to the hand of the adversary.

He surrendered His people to the sword

because He was enraged by His heritage.

Fire consumed His young men,

and their maidens were left without wedding songs.

His priests fell by the sword,

but their widows could not lament.

Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,

like a mighty warrior overcome by wine.

He beat back His foes;

He put them to everlasting shame.

He rejected the tent of Joseph

and refused the tribe of Ephraim.

But He chose the tribe of Judah,

Mount Zion, which He loved.

He built His sanctuary like the heights,

like the earth He has established forever.

He chose David His servant

and took him from the sheepfolds;

from tending the ewes He brought him

to be shepherd of His people Jacob,

of Israel His inheritance.

So David shepherded them with integrity of heart

and guided them with skillful hands.