²³“Am I a God who is near,” declares the LORD,

“And not a God far off?

²⁴“Can a man hide himself in hiding places

So I do not see him?” declares the LORD.

“Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.

²⁵“I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy falsely in My name, saying, ‘I had a dream, I had a dream!’²⁶“How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy falsehood, even these prophets of the deception of their own heart,²⁷who intend to make My people forget My name by their dreams which they relate to one another, just as their fathers forgot My name because of Baal?²⁸“The prophet who has a dream may relate his dream, but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD.²⁹“Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock?

¹God takes His stand in His own congregation;

He judges in the midst of the rulers.

²How long will you judge unjustly

And show partiality to the wicked?

Selah.

³Vindicate the weak and fatherless;

Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

⁴Rescue the weak and needy;

Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

⁵They do not know nor do they understand;

They walk about in darkness;

All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

⁶I said, “You are gods,

And all of you are sons of the Most High.

⁷“Nevertheless you will die like men

And fall like any one of the princes.”

⁸Arise, O God, judge the earth!

For it is You who possesses all the nations.

²⁹By faith they passed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land; and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.

³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.³¹By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

³²And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets,³³who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,³⁴quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.³⁵Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection;³⁶and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment.³⁷They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated³⁸(men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.

³⁹And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,⁴⁰because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

Jesus, the Example

¹Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

⁴⁹“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled!⁵⁰“But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!⁵¹“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division;⁵²for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three.⁵³“They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴And He was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out.⁵⁵“And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way.⁵⁶“You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?

⁹“Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;

You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

If you remove the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,

¹⁰And if you give yourself to the hungry

And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in darkness

And your gloom will become like midday.

¹¹“And the LORD will continually guide you,

And satisfy your desire in scorched places,

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

¹²“Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;

You will raise up the age-old foundations;

And you will be called the repairer of the breach,

The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

Keeping the Sabbath

¹³“If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot

From doing your own pleasure on My holy day,

And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable,

And honor it, desisting from your own ways,

From seeking your own pleasure

And speaking your own word,

¹⁴Then you will take delight in the LORD,

And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth;

And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

¹Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

²Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits;

³Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

⁴Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

⁵Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

⁶The LORD performs righteous deeds

And judgments for all who are oppressed.

⁷He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the sons of Israel.

⁸The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

¹⁸For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind,¹⁹and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them.²⁰For they could not bear the command, “IF EVEN A BEAST TOUCHES THE MOUNTAIN, IT WILL BE STONED.”²¹And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I AM FULL OF FEAR and trembling.”²²But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,²³to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,²⁴and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

The Unshaken Kingdom

²⁵See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.²⁶And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.”²⁷This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.²⁸Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;²⁹for our God is a consuming fire.

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

¹It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely.²And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.³And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”⁴But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away.⁵And He said to them, “Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”⁶And they could make no reply to this.

Parable of the Guests

⁷And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,⁸“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,⁹and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.¹⁰“But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.¹¹“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹²And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.¹³“But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,¹⁴and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

⁶Do not claim honor in the presence of the king,

And do not stand in the place of great men;

⁷For it is better that it be said to you, “Come up here,”

Than for you to be placed lower in the presence of the prince,

Whom your eyes have seen.

¹Praise the LORD!

How blessed is the man who fears the LORD,

Who greatly delights in His commandments.

²His descendants will be mighty on earth;

The generation of the upright will be blessed.

³Wealth and riches are in his house,

And his righteousness endures forever.

⁴Light arises in the darkness for the upright;

He is gracious and compassionate and righteous.

⁵It is well with the man who is gracious and lends;

He will maintain his cause in judgment.

⁶For he will never be shaken;

The righteous will be remembered forever.

⁷He will not fear evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

⁸His heart is upheld, he will not fear,

Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries.

⁹He has given freely to the poor,

His righteousness endures forever;

His horn will be exalted in honor.

¹⁰The wicked will see it and be vexed,

He will gnash his teeth and melt away;

The desire of the wicked will perish.

The Changeless Christ

¹Let love of the brethren continue.²Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.³Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.⁴Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.⁵Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKEYOU,”⁶so that we confidently say,

“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.

WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

⁷Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

⁷And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,⁸“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him,⁹and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.¹⁰“But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.¹¹“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

¹²And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.¹³“But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,¹⁴and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

¹⁵“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;¹⁶in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.¹⁷“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,¹⁸I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.¹⁹“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,²⁰by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

¹How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

²But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

³He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

⁴The wicked are not so,

But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,

But the way of the wicked will perish.

²⁵Now large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,²⁶“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.²⁷“Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.²⁸“For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?²⁹“Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,³⁰saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’³¹“Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?³²“Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.³³“So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.

⁷Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.⁸“They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’”⁹The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people.¹⁰“Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”

Moses’ Entreaty

¹¹Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?¹²“Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.¹³“Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”¹⁴So the LORD changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

¹Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

And cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions,

And my sin is ever before me.

⁴Against You, You only, I have sinned

And done what is evil in Your sight,

So that You are justified when You speak

And blameless when You judge.

⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

⁶Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,

And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

⁷Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness,

Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

⁹Hide Your face from my sins

And blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,¹³even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;¹⁴and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.¹⁵It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.¹⁶Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

The Lost Sheep

¹Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.²Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

³So He told them this parable, saying,⁴“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?⁵“When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.⁶“And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’⁷“I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Lost Coin

⁸“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?⁹“When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost!’¹⁰“In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Prodigal Son

⁴Hear this, you who trample the needy, to do away with the humble of the land,⁵saying,

“When will the new moon be over,

So that we may sell grain,

And the sabbath, that we may open the wheat market,

To make the bushel smaller and the shekel bigger,

And to cheat with dishonest scales,

⁶So as to buy the helpless for money

And the needy for a pair of sandals,

And that we may sell the refuse of the wheat?”

⁷The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob,

“Indeed, I will never forget any of their deeds.

¹Praise the LORD!

Praise, O servants of the LORD,

Praise the name of the LORD.

²Blessed be the name of the LORD

From this time forth and forever.

³From the rising of the sun to its setting

The name of the LORD is to be praised.

⁴The LORD is high above all nations;

His glory is above the heavens.

⁵Who is like the LORD our God,

Who is enthroned on high,

⁶Who humbles Himself to behold

The things that are in heaven and in the earth?

⁷He raises the poor from the dust

And lifts the needy from the ash heap,

⁸To make them sit with princes,

With the princes of His people.

⁹He makes the barren woman abide in the house

As a joyful mother of children.

Praise the LORD!

A Call to Prayer

¹First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,²for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.³This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,⁴who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.⁵For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,⁶who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.⁷For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

The Unrighteous Steward

¹Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.²“And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’³“The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.

¹⁰Then behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.¹¹He said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to tell you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.¹²Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.¹³“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.¹⁴“Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”

¹Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

²Bless the LORD, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits;

³Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

⁴Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

⁵Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

⁶The LORD performs righteous deeds

And judgments for all who are oppressed.

⁷He made known His ways to Moses,

His acts to the sons of Israel.

⁸The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.

⁹He will not always strive with us,

Nor will He keep His anger forever.

¹⁰He has not dealt with us according to our sins,

Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

¹²As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³Just as a father has compassion on his children,

So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.

¹⁴For He Himself knows our frame;

He is mindful that we are but dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass;

As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

¹⁶When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,

And its place acknowledges it no longer.

¹⁷But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children’s children,

¹⁸To those who keep His covenant

And remember His precepts to do them.

¹⁹The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,

And His sovereignty rules over all.

²⁰Bless the LORD, you His angels,

Mighty in strength, who perform His word,

Obeying the voice of His word!

²¹Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,

You who serve Him, doing His will.

²²Bless the LORD, all you works of His,

In all places of His dominion;

Bless the LORD, O my soul!

⁷And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,⁸and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.⁹And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.¹⁰Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.¹¹“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.¹²“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

¹⁷The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”¹⁸And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.¹⁹“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.²⁰“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”