Month: November 2023

The Inner Gates

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court through the south gate. When he measured the south gate, it had the same measurements as the others. ²⁹ Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ³⁰ (There were porticoes all around, 43¾ feet long and 8¾ feet wide.^[a]) ³¹ Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees. Its stairway had eight steps.

³² Then he brought me to the inner court on the east side. When he measured the gate, it had the same measurements as the others. ³³ Its recesses, jambs, and portico had the same measurements as the others. Both it and its portico had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ³⁴ Its portico faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gate.^(A) When he measured it, it had the same measurements as the others, ³⁶ as did its recesses, jambs, and portico. It also had windows all around. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ³⁷ Its portico^[b] faced the outer court, and its jambs were decorated with palm trees on each side. Its stairway had eight steps.

Rooms for Preparing Sacrifices

³⁸ There was a chamber whose door opened into the gate’s portico.^[c] The burnt offering was to be washed there.^{(B) 39} Inside the gate’s portico there were two tables on each side, on which to slaughter the burnt offering, sin offering,^(C) and guilt offering.^{(D) 40} Outside, as one approaches the entrance of the north gate, there were two tables on one side and two more tables on the other side of the gate’s portico. ⁴¹ So there were four tables inside the gate and four outside, eight tables in all on which the slaughtering was to be done. ⁴² There were also four tables of cut stone for the burnt offering,^(E) each 31½ inches^[d] long, 31½ inches wide, and 21 inches high. The utensils used to slaughter the burnt offerings and other sacrifices were placed on them. ⁴³ There were three-inch^[e] hooks^[f] fastened all around the inside of the room, and the flesh of the offering was to be laid on the tables.

Rooms for Singers and Priests

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate, within the inner court, there were chambers for the singers:^[g](F) one^[h] beside the north gate, facing south, and another beside the south^[i] gate, facing north. ⁴⁵ Then the man said to me, “This chamber that faces south is for the priests who keep charge of the temple.^{(G) 46} The chamber that faces north is for the priests who keep charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok,^(H) the ones from the sons of Levi who may approach the Lord to serve him.”^{(I) 47} Next he measured the court. It was square, 175 feet long and 175 feet wide. The altar^(J) was in front of the temple.

⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the portico of the temple and measured the jambs of the portico; they were 8¾ feet thick on each side. The width of the gate was 24½ feet,^[j] and the side walls of the gate were^[k] 5¼ feet^[l] wide on each side. ⁴⁹ The portico was 35 feet^[m] across and 21^[n] feet^[o] deep, and 10 steps led^[p] up to it.^(K) There were pillars by the jambs, one on each side.^(L)

Inside the Temple

41 Next he brought me into the great hall and measured the jambs;^(M) on each side the width of the jamb was 10½ feet.^{[q][r] 2} The width of the entrance was 17½ feet,^[s] and the side walls of the entrance were 8¾ feet^[t] wide on each side. He also measured the length of the great hall, 70 feet,^[u] and the width, 35 feet.^{[v](N) 3} He went inside the next room and measured the jambs at the entrance;^(O) they were 3½ feet^[w] wide. The entrance was 10½ feet wide, and the width of the entrance’s side walls on each side^[x] was 12¼ feet.^{[y] 4} He then measured the length of the room adjacent to the great hall, 35 feet, and the width, 35 feet.^(P) And he said to me, “This is the most holy place.”^(Q)

Outside the Temple

⁵ Then he measured the wall of the temple; it was 10½ feet thick. The width of the side rooms all around the temple was 7 feet.^{[z](R) 6} The side rooms were arranged one above another in three stories of thirty rooms each.^[aa] There were ledges on the wall of the temple all around to serve as supports for the side rooms, so that the supports would not be in the temple wall itself.^{(S) 7} The side rooms surrounding the temple widened at each successive story, for the structure surrounding the temple went up by stages. This was the reason for the temple’s broadness as it rose. And so, one would go up from the lowest story to the highest by means of the middle one.^[ab](T)

⁸ I saw that the temple had a raised platform surrounding it; this foundation for the side rooms was 10½ feet high.^{[ac](U) 9} The thickness of the outer wall of the side rooms was 8¾ feet. The free space between the side rooms of the temple ¹⁰ and the outer chambers was 35 feet wide all around the temple.^{(V) 11} The side rooms opened into the free space, one entrance toward the north and another to the south. The area of free space was 8¾ feet wide all around.

¹² Now the building that faced the temple yard toward the west was 122½ feet^[ad] wide. The wall of the building was 8¾ feet thick on all sides, and the building’s length was 157½ feet.^[ae]

¹³ Then the man measured the temple; it was 175 feet^[af] long.^(W) In addition, the temple yard and the building, including its walls, were 175 feet long. ¹⁴ The width of the front of the temple along with the temple yard to the east was 175 feet. ¹⁵ Next he measured the length of the building facing the temple yard to the west, with its galleries^[ag] on each side;^(X) it was 175 feet.

Interior Wooden Structures

The interior of the great hall and the porticoes of the court— ¹⁶ the thresholds, the beveled windows,^(Y) and the balconies all around with their three levels opposite the threshold—were overlaid with wood on all sides.^(Z) They were paneled from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), ¹⁷ reaching to the top of the entrance, and as far as the inner temple and on the outside. On every wall all around, on the inside and outside, was a pattern ¹⁸ carved with cherubim and palm trees.^(AA) There was a palm tree between each pair of cherubim.^(AB) Each cherub had two faces: ¹⁹ a human face turned toward the palm tree on one side,^(AC) and a lion’s face turned toward it on the other. They were carved throughout the temple on all sides. ²⁰ Cherubim and palm trees were carved from the ground to the top of the entrance and on the wall of the great hall.

²¹ The doorposts of the great hall were square,^(AD) and the front of the sanctuary had the same appearance. ²² The altar was^[ah] made of wood, 5¼ feet^[ai] high and 3½ feet long.^[aj] It had corners, and its length^[ak] and sides were of wood.^(AE) The man told me, “This is the table that stands before the Lord.”^(AF)

²³ The great hall and the sanctuary each had a double door,^{(AG) 24} and each of the doors had two swinging panels.^(AH) There were two panels for one door and two for the other. ²⁵ Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the great hall like those carved on the walls. There was a wooden canopy^[al](AI) outside, in front of the portico. ²⁶ There were beveled windows and palm trees on both sides,^(AJ) on the side walls of the portico, the side rooms of the temple, and the canopies.^[am]

Proud or Humble

4 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions^(A) that wage war within you?^{[a] 2} You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war.^[b] You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.^(B)

⁴ You adulterous people!^[c] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.^{(C) 5} Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?^[d](D)

⁶ But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:

⁷ Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.^{(F) 8} Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.^{(G) 9} Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.^{(H) 10} Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹ Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer^[f] defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.^{(I) 12} There is one lawgiver and judge^[g] who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?^(J)

Our Will and God’s Will

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”^{(K) 14} Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.^(L)

¹⁵ Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.^{(M) 17} So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.^(N)

The Disposal of Gog

39 “As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of^[a] Meshech and Tubal.^{(A) 2} I will turn you around, drive you on,^(B) and lead you up from the remotest parts of the north. I will bring you against the mountains of Israel. ³ Then I will knock your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. ⁴ You, all your troops, and the peoples who are with you will fall on the mountains of Israel. I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and to the wild animals. ⁵ You will fall on the open field,^(C) for I have spoken. This is the declaration of the Lord God.

⁶ “‘I will send fire against Magog^(D) and those who live securely on the coasts and islands. Then they will know that I am the Lord. ⁷ So I will make my holy name known among my people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.^{(E) 8} Yes, it is coming, and it will happen. This is the declaration of the Lord God. This is the day I have spoken about.

⁹ “‘Then the inhabitants of Israel’s cities will go out, kindle fires, and burn the weapons—the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them to make fires. ¹⁰ They will not gather wood from the countryside or cut it down from the forests, for they will use the weapons to make fires. They will take the loot from those who looted them and plunder those who plundered them.^(F) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

¹¹ “‘Now on that day I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel—the Travelers’ Valley^[b] east of the Sea. It will block those who travel through, for Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called Hordes of Gog^[c] Valley. ¹² The house of Israel will spend seven months burying them in order to cleanse the land.^{(G) 13} All the people of the land will bury them and their fame will spread^(H) on the day I display my glory.^(I) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

¹⁴ “‘They will appoint men on a full-time basis to pass through the land and bury the invaders^[d] who remain on the surface of the ground, in order to cleanse it. They will make their search at the end of the seven months. ¹⁵ When they pass through the land and one of them sees a human bone, he will set up a marker next to it until the buriers have buried it in Hordes of Gog Valley. ¹⁶ There will even be a city named Hamonah^[e] there. So they will cleanse the land.’

¹⁷ “Son of man, this is what the Lord God says: Tell every kind of bird and all the wild animals, ‘Assemble and come! Gather from all around to my sacrificial feast that I am slaughtering for you, a great feast on the mountains of Israel;^(J) you will eat flesh and drink blood. ¹⁸ You will eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the earth’s princes: rams, lambs, male goats, and all the fattened bulls of Bashan. ¹⁹ You will eat fat until you are satisfied^(K) and drink blood until you are drunk, at my sacrificial feast that I have prepared for you. ²⁰ At my table you will eat your fill of horses and riders, of mighty men and all the warriors. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’

Israel’s Restoration to God

²¹ “I will display my glory among the nations,^(L) and all the nations will see the judgment I have executed and the hand I have laid on them. ²² From that day forward the house of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. ²³ And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile on account of their iniquity, because they dealt unfaithfully with me.^(M) Therefore, I hid my face from them and handed them over to their enemies, so that they all fell by the sword. ²⁴ I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and transgressions, and I hid my face from them.

²⁵ “So this is what the Lord God says: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob^(N) and have compassion on the whole house of Israel,^(O) and I will be jealous for my holy name. ²⁶ They will feel remorse for^[f][g] their disgrace^(P) and all the unfaithfulness they committed against me, when they live securely in their land with no one to frighten them. ²⁷ When I bring them back from the peoples and gather them from the countries of their enemies, I will demonstrate my holiness through them in the sight of many nations.^{(Q) 28} They will know that I am the Lord their God when I regather them to their own land after having exiled them among the nations. I will leave none of them behind.^{[h] 29} I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel.”^(R) This is the declaration of the Lord God.

The New Temple

40 In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured,^(S) on that very day the Lord’s hand was on me,^(T) and he brought me there. ² In visions of God^(U) he took me to the land of Israel and set me down on a very high mountain.^(V) On its southern slope was a structure resembling a city. ³ He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze,^(W) with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand.^(X) He was standing by the city gate. ⁴ He spoke to me: “Son of man, look with your eyes, listen with your ears,^(Y) and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for you have been brought here so that I might show it to you. Report everything you see to the house of Israel.”^(Z)

The Wall and Outer Gates

⁵ Now there was a wall surrounding the outside of the temple.^(AA) The measuring rod in the man’s hand was six units of twenty-one inches;^[i] each unit was the standard length plus three inches.^[j] He measured the thickness of the wall structure; it was 10½ feet,^[k] and its height was the same. ⁶ Then he came to the gate that faced east and climbed its steps.^(AB) He measured the threshold of the gate; it was 10½ feet deep—one threshold was 10½ feet deep. ⁷ Each recess was 10½ feet long and 10½ feet deep, and there was a space of 8¾ feet^[l] between the recesses. The inner threshold of the gate on the temple side next to the gate’s portico was 10½ feet. ⁸ Next he measured the gate’s portico; ⁹ it^[m] was 14 feet,^[n] and its jambs were 3½ feet.^[o] The gate’s portico was on the temple side.

¹⁰ There were three recesses on each side of the east gate, each with the same measurements, and the jambs on either side also had the same measurements. ¹¹ Then he measured the width of the gate’s entrance; it was 17½ feet,^[p] while the width^[q] of the gate was 22¾ feet.^{[r] 12} There was a barrier of 21 inches^[s] in front of the recesses on both sides, and the recesses on each side were 10½ feet^[t] square. ¹³ Then he measured the gate from the roof of one recess to the roof of the opposite one; the distance was 43¾ feet.^[u] The openings of the recesses faced each other. ¹⁴ Next, he measured the porch—105 feet.^{[v][w] 15} The distance from the front of the gate at the entrance to the front of the gate’s portico on the inside was 87½ feet.^{[x] 16} The recesses and their jambs had beveled windows all around the inside of the gate.^(AC) The porticoes also had windows all around on the inside. Each jamb was decorated with palm trees.^(AD)

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court,^(AE) and there were chambers and a paved surface laid out all around the court.^(AF) Thirty chambers faced the pavement, ¹⁸ which flanked the courtyard’s gates and corresponded to the length of the gates; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the distance from the front of the lower gate to the exterior front of the inner court; it was 175 feet.^[y] This was the east; next the north is described.

²⁰ He measured the gate of the outer court facing north, both its length and width. ²¹ Its three recesses on each side, its jambs, and its portico had the same measurements as the first gate: 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ²² Its windows, portico, and palm trees had the same measurements as those of the gate that faced east. Seven steps led up to the gate, and its portico was ahead of them. ²³ The inner court had a gate facing the north gate, like the one on the east. He measured the distance from gate to gate; it was 175 feet.

²⁴ He brought me to the south side, and there was also a gate on the south. He measured its jambs and portico; they had the same measurements as the others. ²⁵ Both the gate and its portico had windows all around, like the other windows. It was 87½ feet long and 43¾ feet wide. ²⁶ Its stairway had seven steps, and its portico was ahead of them. It had palm trees on its jambs, one on each side. ²⁷ The inner court had a gate on the south. He measured from gate to gate on the south; it was 175 feet.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”^[a] Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.^{(A) 19} You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.^(B)

²⁰ Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? ²¹ Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,^{(C) 23} and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,^[b](D) and he was called God’s friend.^{(E) 24} You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?^{(F) 26} For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Controlling the Tongue

3 Not many should become teachers, my brothers,^[c] because you know that we will receive a stricter judgment.^{(G) 2} For we all stumble in many ways.^(H) If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is mature, able also to control the whole body.^{(I) 3} Now if we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us,^(J) we direct their whole bodies. ⁴ And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things.^(K) Consider how a small fire sets ablaze a large forest. ⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed^[d] among our members. It stains the whole body,^(L) sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. ⁷ Every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and fish is tamed and has been tamed by humankind, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.^{(M) 9} With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness.^{(N) 10} Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. ¹¹ Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

The Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? By his good conduct he should show that his works are done in the gentleness that comes from wisdom.^{(O) 14} But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth.^{(P) 15} Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.^{(Q) 16} For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.^{(R) 18} And the fruit of righteousness^(S) is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

Psalm 118

Thanksgiving for Victory

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was on me,^(A) and he brought me out by his Spirit^(B) and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me all around them. There were a great many of them on the surface of the valley, and they were very dry. ³ Then he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I replied, “Lord God, only you know.”^(C)

⁴ He said to me, “Prophesy concerning these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ This is what the Lord God says to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you will live.^{(D) 6} I will put tendons on you, make flesh grow on you, and cover you with skin. I will put breath in you so that you come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”^(E)

⁷ So I prophesied as I had been commanded. While I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ As I looked, tendons appeared on them, flesh grew, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. ⁹ He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath,^[a] prophesy, son of man. Say to it: This is what the Lord God says: Breath, come from the four winds and breathe into these slain so that they may live!” ^{(F) 10} So I prophesied as he commanded me; the breath entered them,^(G) and they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army.

¹¹ Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.^(H) Look how they say, ‘Our bones are dried up,^(I) and our hope has perished;^(J) we are cut off.’^{(K) 12} Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them,^(L) my people, and lead you into the land of Israel. ¹³ You will know that I am the Lord, my people, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.^{(M) 14} I will put my Spirit in you,^(N) and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it.^(O) This is the declaration of the Lord.’”

The Reunification of Israel

¹⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁶ “Son of man, take a single stick and write on it:^(P) Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Belonging to Joseph—the stick of Ephraim—and all the house of Israel associated with him.^{(Q) 17} Then join them together into a single stick so that they become one in your hand.^{(R) 18} When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these things?’—^{(S) 19} tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and put them together with the stick of Judah. I will make them into a single stick so that they become one in my hand.’

²⁰ “When the sticks you have written on are in your hand and in full view of the people,^{(T) 21} tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am going to take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone.^(U) I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. ²² I will make them one nation in the land,^(V) on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over all of them.^(W) They will no longer be two nations and will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. ²³ They will not defile themselves anymore with their idols,^(X) their abhorrent things, and all their transgressions.^(Y) I will save them from all their apostasies by which^[b] they sinned,^(Z) and I will cleanse them. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.^{(AA) 24} My servant David will be king over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them.^(AB) They will follow my ordinances, and keep my statutes and obey them.^(AC)

²⁵ “‘They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,^(AD) where your ancestors lived. They will live in it forever with their children and grandchildren, and my servant David will be their prince forever.^{(AE) 26} I will make a covenant of peace with them;^(AF) it will be a permanent covenant^(AG) with them. I will establish and multiply them and will set my sanctuary among them forever. ²⁷ My dwelling place will be with them;^(AH) I will be their God, and they will be my people.^{(AI) 28} When my sanctuary is among them forever, the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel.’”^(AJ)

The Defeat of Gog

38 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, face Gog, of the land of Magog,^(AK) the chief prince of^[c] Meshech and Tubal.^(AL) Prophesy against him ³ and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws,^(AM) and bring you out with all your army, including horses and riders,^(AN) who are all splendidly dressed, a huge assembly armed with large and small shields, all of them brandishing swords. ⁵ Persia,^(AO) Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shields and helmets; ⁶ Gomer^(AP) with all its troops; and Beth-togarmah^(AQ) from the remotest parts of the north along with all its troops—many peoples are with you.

⁷ “‘Be prepared and get yourself ready, you and your whole assembly that has been mobilized around you; you will be their guard. ⁸ After a long time you will be summoned. In the last years you will enter a land that has been restored from war^[d] and regathered from many peoples to the mountains of Israel, which had long been a ruin.^(AR) They were brought out from the peoples, and all of them now live securely. ⁹ You, all of your troops, and many peoples with you will advance, coming like a thunderstorm; you will be like a cloud covering the land.

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Lord God says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan. ¹¹ You will say, “I will advance against a land of open villages; I will come against a tranquil people who are living securely,^(AS) all of them living without walls and without bars or gates”^(AT)— ¹² in order to seize spoil and carry off plunder,^(AU) to turn your hand against ruins now inhabited and against a people gathered from the nations, who have been acquiring cattle and possessions and who live at the center of the world. ¹³ Sheba^(AV) and Dedan^(AW) and the merchants of Tarshish^(AX) with all its rulers^[e] will ask you, “Have you come to seize spoil? Have you mobilized your assembly to carry off plunder, to make off with silver and gold, to take cattle and possessions, to seize plenty of spoil?”’

¹⁴ “Therefore prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, ‘This is what the Lord God says: On that day when my people Israel are dwelling securely,^(AY) will you not know this ¹⁵ and come from your place in the remotest parts of the north^(AZ)—you and many peoples with you, who are all riding horses—a huge assembly, a powerful army? ¹⁶ You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud covering the land. It will happen in the last days, Gog, that I will bring you against my land so that the nations may know me, when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.^(BA)

¹⁷ “‘This is what the Lord God says: Are you the one I spoke about in former times through my servants, the prophets of Israel, who for years prophesied in those times that I would bring you against them? ¹⁸ Now on that day, the day when Gog comes against the land of Israel—this is the declaration of the Lord God—my wrath will flare up.^{[f] 19} I swear in my zeal and fiery wrath:^(BB) On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. ²⁰ The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before me. The mountains will be demolished, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground. ²¹ I will call for a sword against him on all my mountains—this is the declaration of the Lord God—and every man’s sword will be against his brother.^{(BC) 22} I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrential rain, hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on him, as well as his troops and the many peoples who are with him.^{(BD) 23} I will display my greatness and holiness, and I will reveal myself in the sight of many nations.^(BE) Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

Hearing and Doing the Word

¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,^{(A) 20} for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness. ²¹ Therefore, ridding yourselves of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent,^[a] humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.^(B)

²² But^(C) be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. ²³ Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like someone looking at his own face^[b] in a mirror. ²⁴ For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who works—this person will be blessed in what he does.^(D)

²⁶ If anyone^[c] thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue,^(E) his religion is useless and he deceives himself. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows^(F) in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world.^(G)

The Sin of Favoritism

2 My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.^{(H) 2} For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, ³ if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” ⁴ haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Didn’t God choose the poor in this world^(I) to be rich in faith^(J) and heirs^(K) of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ Yet you have dishonored the poor.^(L) Don’t the rich oppress you and drag^(M) you into court? ⁷ Don’t they blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?^(N)

⁸ Indeed, if you fulfill the royal law prescribed in the Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself,^[d](O) you are doing well. ⁹ If, however, you show favoritism,^(P) you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the entire law, and yet stumbles at one point, is guilty of breaking it all.^{(Q) 11} For he who said, Do not commit adultery,^[e] also said, Do not murder.^[f](R) So if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you are a lawbreaker.

¹² Speak and act as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom.^{(S) 13} For judgment is without mercy to the one who has not shown mercy.^(T) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?^{(U) 17} In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.

Psalm 117

Universal Call to Praise

A Prophecy against Edom

35 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, face Mount Seir^(A) and prophesy against it. ³ Say to it, ‘This is what the Lord God says:

⁵ “‘Because you maintained a perpetual hatred^(C) and gave the Israelites over to the power of the sword in the time of their disaster, the time of final punishment,^{(D) 6} therefore, as I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I will destine you for bloodshed, and it will pursue you. Since you did not hate bloodshed, it will pursue you.^{(E) 7} I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.^{(F) 8} I will fill its mountains with the slain;^(G) those slain by the sword will fall on your hills, in your valleys, and in all your ravines. ⁹ I will make you a perpetual desolation; your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ “‘Because you said, “These two nations and two lands will be mine, and we will possess them”—though the Lord was there^(H)— ¹¹ therefore, as I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I will treat you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred of them. I will make myself known among them^[a] when I judge you. ¹² Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all the blasphemies you uttered against the mountains of Israel, saying, “They are desolate. They have been given to us to devour!” ¹³ You boasted against me^(I) with your mouth, and spoke many words against me. I heard it myself!

¹⁴ “‘This is what the Lord God says: While the whole world rejoices, I will make you a desolation. ¹⁵ Just as you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it became a desolation, I will deal the same way with you: you will become a desolation, Mount Seir, and so will all Edom in its entirety. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’

Restoration of Israel’s Mountains

36 “Son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘Mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.^{(J) 2} This is what the Lord God says: Because the enemy has said about you, “Aha!^(K) The ancient heights^(L) have become our possession,”’ ³ therefore, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Because they have made you desolate and have trampled you from every side, so that you became a possession for the rest of the nations and an object of people’s gossip and slander,^{(M) 4} therefore, mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God. This is what the Lord God says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys, to the desolate ruins and abandoned cities, which have become plunder^(N) and a mockery to the rest of the nations all around.

⁵ “‘This is what the Lord God says: Certainly in my burning zeal I speak against the rest of the nations and all of Edom,^(O) who took^[b] my land as their own possession with wholehearted rejoicing and utter contempt^(P) so that its pastureland became^[c] plunder. ⁶ Therefore, prophesy concerning Israel’s land, and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: This is what the Lord God says: Look, I speak in my burning zeal^(Q) because you have endured the insults of the nations. ⁷ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: I swear^[d] that the nations all around you will endure their own insults.^(R)

⁸ “‘You, mountains of Israel, will produce your branches^(S) and bear your fruit for my people Israel, since their arrival is near. ⁹ Look! I am on your side; I will turn toward you,^(T) and you will be tilled and sown. ¹⁰ I will fill you with people, with the whole house of Israel in its entirety.^(U) The cities will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. ¹¹ I will fill you with people and animals,^(V) and they will increase and be fruitful. I will make you inhabited as you once were and make you better off than you were before. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^{(W) 12} I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk on you; they will possess you,^(X) and you will be their inheritance. You will no longer deprive them of their children.

¹³ “‘This is what the Lord God says: Because some are saying to you, “You devour people and deprive your nation of children,”^{(Y) 14} therefore, you will no longer devour people and deprive your nation of children.^[e] This is the declaration of the Lord God. ¹⁵ I will no longer allow the insults of the nations to be heard against you, and you will not have to endure the reproach of the peoples anymore;^(Z) you will no longer cause your nation to stumble.^[f] This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

Restoration of Israel’s People

¹⁶ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁷ “Son of man, while the house of Israel lived in their land, they defiled it with their conduct and actions.^(AA) Their behavior before me was like menstrual impurity.^{(AB) 18} So I poured out my wrath^(AC) on them because of the blood they had shed on the land, and because they had defiled it with their idols. ¹⁹ I dispersed them among the nations, and they were scattered among the countries.^(AD) I judged them according to their conduct and actions.^{(AE) 20} When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned my holy name,^(AF) because it was said about them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, yet they had to leave his land in exile.’ ²¹ Then I had concern for my holy name,^(AG) which the house of Israel profaned among the nations where they went.

²² “Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Lord God says: It is not for your sake that I will act,^(AH) house of Israel, but for my holy name,^(AI) which you profaned among the nations where you went. ²³ I will honor the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. The nations will know that I am the Lord—this is the declaration of the Lord God—when I demonstrate my holiness through you in their sight.^(AJ)

²⁴ “‘For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.^{(AK) 25} I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.^(AL) I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.^{(AM) 26} I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you;^(AN) I will remove your heart of stone^[g] and give you a heart of flesh.^{(AO) 27} I will place my Spirit within you^(AP) and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.^{(AQ) 28} You will live in the land that I gave your ancestors;^(AR) you will be my people, and I will be your God.^{(AS) 29} I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I will not bring famine on you.^{(AT) 30} I will also make the fruit of the trees and the produce of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer experience reproach among the nations on account of famine.

³¹ “‘You will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good,^(AU) and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and detestable practices.^{(AV) 32} It is not for your sake that I will act^(AW)—this is the declaration of the Lord God—let this be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, house of Israel!

³³ “‘This is what the Lord God says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruins will be rebuilt.^{(AX) 34} The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of everyone who passes by. ³⁵ They will say, “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden.^(AY) The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and demolished are now fortified and inhabited.” ³⁶ Then the nations that remain around you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt what was demolished and have replanted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it.^(AZ)

³⁷ “‘This is what the Lord God says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them:^(BA) I will multiply them in number like a flock.^{[h] 38} So the ruined cities will be filled with a flock of people, just as Jerusalem^(BB) is filled with a flock of sheep for sacrifice^[i] during its appointed festivals. Then they will know that I am the Lord.’”

Greeting

1 James,^(A) a servant of God^(B) and of the Lord Jesus Christ:

To the twelve tribes^(C) dispersed abroad.^[a](D)

Greetings.^(E)

Trials and Maturity

² Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials,^{(F) 3} because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

⁵ Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.^{(G) 6} But let him ask in faith without doubting.^[b] For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.^[c](H)

⁹ Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, ¹⁰ but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.^{(I) 11} For the sun rises and, together with the scorching wind, dries up the grass; its flower falls off, and its beautiful appearance perishes. In the same way, the rich person will wither away while pursuing his activities.^(J)

¹² Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown^(K) of life that God^[d] has promised to those who love him.^(L)

¹³ No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God,” since God is not tempted by evil, and he himself doesn’t tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.^{(M) 15} Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death.^(N)

¹⁶ Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.^{(O) 17} Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.^{(P) 18} By his own choice, he gave us birth by the word of truth so that we would be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.^(Q)

Psalm 116

Thanks to God for Deliverance

Ezekiel as Israel’s Watchman

33 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, speak to your people and tell them, ‘Suppose I bring the sword against a land, and the people of that land select a man from among them, appointing him as their watchman. ³ And suppose he sees the sword coming against the land and blows his ram’s horn^(A) to warn the people. ⁴ Then, if anyone hears the sound of the ram’s horn but ignores the warning,^(B) and the sword comes and takes him away, his death will be his own fault.^{[a] 5} Since he heard the sound of the ram’s horn but ignored the warning, his death is his own fault.^[b] If he had taken warning, he would have saved his life. ⁶ However, suppose the watchman sees the sword coming but doesn’t blow the ram’s horn, so that the people aren’t warned, and the sword comes and takes away their lives. Then they have been taken away because of their iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’

⁷ “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.^(C) When you hear a word from my mouth, give them a warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, ‘Wicked one, you will surely die,’^(D) but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. ⁹ But if you warn a wicked person to turn from his way and he doesn’t turn from it, he will die for his iniquity, but you will have rescued yourself.

¹⁰ “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘You have said this: “Our transgressions and our sins are heavy on us, and we are wasting away because of them!^(E) How then can we survive?”’ ^{(F) 11} Tell them, ‘As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live.^(G) Repent, repent of your evil ways! Why will you die, house of Israel?’

¹² “Now, son of man, say to your people, ‘The righteousness of the righteous person will not save him on the day of his transgression; neither will the wickedness of the wicked person cause him to stumble on the day he turns from his wickedness. The righteous person won’t be able to survive by his righteousness on the day he sins. ¹³ When I tell the righteous person that he will surely live, but he trusts in his righteousness and acts unjustly, then none of his righteousness will be remembered, and he will die because of the injustice he has committed.^(H)

¹⁴ “‘So when I tell the wicked person, “You will surely die,” but he repents of his sin and does what is just and right— ¹⁵ he returns collateral, makes restitution for what he has stolen, and walks in the statutes of life^(I) without committing injustice—he will certainly live; he will not die. ¹⁶ None of the sins he committed will be held^[c] against him. He has done what is just and right; he will certainly live.^(J)

¹⁷ “‘But your people say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair,”^(K) even though it is their own way that isn’t fair. ¹⁸ When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits injustice, he will die for it. ¹⁹ But if a wicked person turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of it. ²⁰ Yet you say, “The Lord’s way isn’t fair.” I will judge each of you according to his ways, house of Israel.’”

The News of Jerusalem’s Fall

²¹ In the twelfth year of our exile, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, a fugitive from Jerusalem came to me and reported, “The city has been taken!” ²² Now the hand of the Lord had been on me the evening before the fugitive arrived, and he opened my mouth before the man came to me in the morning. So my mouth was opened and I was no longer mute.^(L)

Israel’s Continued Rebellion

²³ Then the word of the Lord came to me: ²⁴ “Son of man, those who live in the^[d] ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person,^(M) yet he received possession of the land.^(N) But we are many; surely the land has been given to us as a possession.’^{(O) 25} Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: You eat meat with blood in it,^(P) you look to your idols, and you shed blood. Should you then receive possession of the land? ²⁶ You have relied on your swords, you have committed detestable acts, and each of you has defiled his neighbor’s wife. Should you then receive possession of the land?’ ^(Q)

²⁷ “Tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord God says: As surely as I live, those who are in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I have given to wild animals to be devoured, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.^{(R) 28} I will make the land a desolate waste,^(S) and its proud strength will come to an end.^(T) The mountains of Israel^(U) will become desolate, with no one passing through. ²⁹ They will know that I am the Lord when I make the land a desolate waste because of all the detestable acts they have committed.’

³⁰ “As for you, son of man, your people are talking about you near the city walls and in the doorways of their houses. One person speaks to another, each saying to his brother, ‘Come and hear what the message is that comes from the Lord!’ ³¹ So my people come to you in crowds,^[e] sit in front of you, and hear your words, but they don’t obey them. Their mouths go on passionately, but their hearts pursue dishonest profit. ³² Yes, to them you are like a singer of passionate songs who has a beautiful voice and plays skillfully on an instrument. They hear your words, but they don’t obey them. ³³ Yet when all this comes true^(V)—and it definitely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

The Shepherds and God’s Flock

34 The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says to the shepherds: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves!^(W) Shouldn’t the shepherds feed their flock? ³ You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened animals, but you do not tend the flock.^{(X) 4} You have not strengthened the weak, healed the sick, bandaged the injured, brought back the strays, or sought the lost.^(Y) Instead, you have ruled them with violence and cruelty. ⁵ They were scattered for lack of a shepherd;^(Z) they became food for all the wild animals^(AA) when they were scattered. ⁶ My flock went astray on all the mountains and every high hill.^(AB) My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and there was no one searching or seeking for them.

⁷ “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord. ⁸ As I live—this is the declaration of the Lord God—because my flock, lacking a shepherd, has become prey and food for every wild animal, and because my shepherds do not search for my flock, and because the shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, ⁹ therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord!

¹⁰ “‘This is what the Lord God says: Look, I am against the shepherds.^(AC) I will demand my flock from them^[f] and prevent them from shepherding the flock. The shepherds will no longer feed themselves, for I will rescue my flock from their mouths so that they will not be food for them.

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself will search for my flock and look for them. ¹² As a shepherd looks for his sheep on the day he is among his scattered flock, so I will look for my flock. I will rescue them from all the places where they have been scattered^(AD) on a day of clouds and total darkness. ¹³ I will bring them out from the peoples, gather them from the countries, and bring them to their own soil. I will shepherd them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the land. ¹⁴ I will tend them in good pasture, and their grazing place will be on Israel’s lofty mountains. There they will lie down in a good grazing place; they will feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵ I will tend my flock and let them lie down.^(AE) This is the declaration of the Lord God. ¹⁶ I will seek the lost,^(AF) bring back the strays, bandage the injured,^(AG) and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy^[g] the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.

¹⁷ “‘As for you, my flock, the Lord God says this: Look, I am going to judge between one sheep and another, between the rams and goats.^{(AH) 18} Isn’t it enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of the pasture with your feet? Or isn’t it enough that you drink the clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? ¹⁹ Yet my flock has to feed on what your feet have trampled, and drink what your feet have muddied.

²⁰ “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹ Since you have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted all the weak ones with your horns until you scattered them all over, ²² I will save my flock. They will no longer be prey, and I will judge between one sheep and another. ²³ I will establish over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd.^{(AI) 24} I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David^(AJ) will be a prince among them. I, the Lord, have spoken.

²⁵ “‘I will make a covenant of peace^(AK) with them and eliminate dangerous creatures^(AL) from the land, so that they may live securely^(AM) in the wilderness and sleep in the forest. ²⁶ I will make them and the area around my hill^(AN) a blessing: I will send down showers in their season;^(AO) they will be showers of blessing. ²⁷ The trees of the field will yield their fruit, and the land will yield its produce; my flock will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the Lord when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the power of those who enslave them.^{(AP) 28} They will no longer be prey for the nations, and the wild creatures of the earth will not consume them. They will live securely, and no one will frighten them. ²⁹ I will establish for them a place renowned for its agriculture,^[h] and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land. They will no longer endure the insults of the nations.^{(AQ) 30} Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people.^(AR) This is the declaration of the Lord God. ³¹ You are my flock, the human flock of my pasture, and I am your God. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”^(AS)

Final Exhortations

13 Let brotherly love^(A) continue. ² Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.^{(B) 3} Remember those in prison, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated,^[a] as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.^{[b] 4} Marriage is to be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.^{(C) 5} Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.^{[c](D) 6} Therefore, we may boldly say,

⁷ Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.^{(F) 8} Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.^{(G) 9} Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by food regulations, since those who observe them have not benefited.^{(H) 10} We have an altar from which those who worship at the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.^{(I) 11} For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the most holy place by the high priest^(J) as a sin offering are burned outside the camp.^{(K) 12} Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the gate,^(L) so that he might sanctify^[e] the people by his own blood. ¹³ Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing his disgrace.^{(M) 14} For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come.^{(N) 15} Therefore, through him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.^{(O) 16} Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.^{(P) 17} Obey your leaders^[f] and submit to them, since they keep watch^(Q) over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. ¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, wanting to conduct ourselves honorably in everything.^{(R) 19} And I urge you all the more to pray^[g] that I may be restored to you very soon.

Benediction and Farewell

²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep^(S)—through the blood of the everlasting covenant,^{(T) 21} equip^[h] you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.^[i](U) Amen.

²² Brothers and sisters, I urge you to receive this message of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. ²³ Be aware that our brother Timothy has been released. If he comes soon enough, he will be with me when I see you. ²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who are from Italy send you greetings. ²⁵ Grace be with you all.^(V)

Psalm 115

Glory to God Alone

Downfall of Egypt and Assyria

31 In the eleventh year,^(A) in the third month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes,

¹⁰ “‘Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: Since it^[b] towered high in stature and set its top among the clouds, and it^[c] grew proud^(G) on account of its height, ¹¹ I determined to hand it over to a ruler of nations;^(H) he would surely deal with it. I banished it because of its wickedness. ¹² Foreigners, ruthless men from the nations,^(I) cut it down and left it lying. Its limbs fell on the mountains and in every valley; its boughs lay broken in all the earth’s ravines. All the peoples of the earth left its shade and abandoned it. ¹³ All the birds of the sky nested on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field were among its boughs. ¹⁴ This happened so that no trees planted beside water would become great in height and set their tops among the clouds, and so that no other well-watered trees would reach them in height. For they have all been consigned to death, to the underworld, among the people^[d] who descend to the Pit.^(J)

¹⁵ “‘This is what the Lord God says: I caused grieving on the day the cedar went down to Sheol.^(K) I closed off the underground deep because of it:^[e] I held back the rivers of the deep, and its abundant water was restrained. I made Lebanon mourn on account of it, and all the trees of the field fainted because of it. ¹⁶ I made the nations quake at the sound of its downfall, when I threw it down to Sheol to be with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden,^(L) the choice and best of Lebanon, all the well-watered trees, were comforted^(M) in the underworld. ¹⁷ They too descended with it to Sheol, to those slain by the sword. As its allies^[f][g] they had lived in its shade among the nations.

¹⁸ “‘Who then are you like in glory and greatness among Eden’s trees? You also will be brought down to the underworld to be with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the uncircumcised with those slain by the sword.^(N) This is Pharaoh and all his hordes. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

A Lament for Pharaoh

32 In the twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, lament^(O) for Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him,

³ “‘This is what the Lord God says:

¹¹ “‘For this is what the Lord God says:

¹⁶ “‘The daughters of the nations will chant that lament.^(Z) They will chant it over Egypt and all its hordes. This is the declaration of the Lord God.’”

Egypt in Sheol

¹⁷ In the twelfth year,^[l] on the fifteenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁸ “Son of man, wail over the hordes of Egypt and bring Egypt and the daughters of mighty nations down to the underworld,^[m] to be with those who descend to the Pit:^(AA)

This is the declaration of the Lord God.

This is the declaration of the Lord God.

Warning against Rejecting God’s Grace

¹⁴ Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness^(A)—without it no one will see the Lord.^{(B) 15} Make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness springs up, causing trouble and defiling many.^{(C) 16} And make sure that there isn’t any immoral^[a] or irreverent^(D) person like Esau, who sold his birthright in exchange for a single meal.^{(E) 17} For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, even though he sought it with tears, because he didn’t find any opportunity for repentance.^(F)

¹⁸ For you have not come to what could be touched, to a blazing fire, to darkness, gloom, and storm, ¹⁹ to the blast of a trumpet, and the sound of words. Those who heard it begged that not another word be spoken to them, ²⁰ for they could not bear what was commanded: If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.^{[b](G) 21} The appearance was so terrifying that Moses said, I am trembling with fear.^{[c](H) 22} Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering,^{(I) 23} to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written^[d] in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,^{(J) 24} and to Jesus, the mediator^(K) of a new covenant,^(L) and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel.^(M)

²⁵ See to it that you do not reject the one who speaks. For if they did not escape when they rejected him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven.^{(N) 26} His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.^{[e](O) 27} This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken^(P)—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. ²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe,^{(Q) 29} for our God is a consuming fire.^(R)

Psalm 113

Praise to the Merciful God

Psalm 114

God’s Deliverance of Israel