Get Free From Stress

There's No Christmas Without Chanukah

Gratitude for Daily Provision

Journeying Through Advent

Parenting Your Child's Heart -- Not Just Their Head

Becoming an Ally Leader

Advent Devotional

Hope

Number Our Days

Christ: The Treasure of Our Hearts

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch36" data-usfm="PSA.36">
 <div class="label">36</div><div class="cl">Psalm 36#In Hebrew texts 36:1-12 is numbered 36:2-13.</div><div class="d">For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 1I have a message from God in my heart</div><div class="q2">concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:#36:1 Or A message from God: The transgression of the wicked / resides in their hearts.</div><div class="q1">There is no fear of God</div><div class="q2">before their eyes.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 2In their own eyes they flatter themselves</div><div class="q2">too much to detect or hate their sin.</div><div class="q1"> 3The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;</div><div class="q2">they fail to act wisely or do good.</div><div class="q1"> 4Even on their beds they plot evil;</div><div class="q2">they commit themselves to a sinful course</div><div class="q2">and do not reject what is wrong.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,</div><div class="q2">your faithfulness to the skies.</div><div class="q1"> 6Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,</div><div class="q2">your justice like the great deep.</div><div class="q2">You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.</div><div class="q1"> 7How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!</div><div class="q2">People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.</div><div class="q1"> 8They feast on the abundance of your house;</div><div class="q2">you give them drink from your river of delights.</div><div class="q1"> 9For with you is the fountain of life;</div><div class="q2">in your light we see light.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10Continue your love to those who know you,</div><div class="q2">your righteousness to the upright in heart.</div><div class="q1"> 11May the foot of the proud not come against me,</div><div class="q2">nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.</div><div class="q1"> 12See how the evildoers lie fallen&#8212;</div><div class="q2">thrown down, not able to rise!</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch38" data-usfm="PSA.38">
 <div class="label">38</div><div class="cl">Psalm 38#In Hebrew texts 38:1-22 is numbered 38:2-23.</div><div class="d">A psalm of David. A petition.</div><div class="q1"> 1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger</div><div class="q2">or discipline me in your wrath.</div><div class="q1"> 2Your arrows have pierced me,</div><div class="q2">and your hand has come down on me.</div><div class="q1"> 3Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;</div><div class="q2">there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.</div><div class="q1"> 4My guilt has overwhelmed me</div><div class="q2">like a burden too heavy to bear.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5My wounds fester and are loathsome</div><div class="q2">because of my sinful folly.</div><div class="q1"> 6I am bowed down and brought very low;</div><div class="q2">all day long I go about mourning.</div><div class="q1"> 7My back is filled with searing pain;</div><div class="q2">there is no health in my body.</div><div class="q1"> 8I am feeble and utterly crushed;</div><div class="q2">I groan in anguish of heart.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9All my longings lie open before you, Lord;</div><div class="q2">my sighing is not hidden from you.</div><div class="q1"> 10My heart pounds, my strength fails me;</div><div class="q2">even the light has gone from my eyes.</div><div class="q1"> 11My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;</div><div class="q2">my neighbors stay far away.</div><div class="q1"> 12Those who want to kill me set their traps,</div><div class="q2">those who would harm me talk of my ruin;</div><div class="q2">all day long they scheme and lie.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 13I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,</div><div class="q2">like the mute, who cannot speak;</div><div class="q1"> 14I have become like one who does not hear,</div><div class="q2">whose mouth can offer no reply.</div><div class="q1"> 15 Lord, I wait for you;</div><div class="q2">you will answer, Lord my God.</div><div class="q1"> 16For I said, &#8220;Do not let them gloat</div><div class="q2">or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 17For I am about to fall,</div><div class="q2">and my pain is ever with me.</div><div class="q1"> 18I confess my iniquity;</div><div class="q2">I am troubled by my sin.</div><div class="q1"> 19Many have become my enemies without cause#38:19 One Dead Sea Scrolls manuscript; Masoretic Text my vigorous enemies;</div><div class="q2">those who hate me without reason are numerous.</div><div class="q1"> 20Those who repay my good with evil</div><div class="q2">lodge accusations against me,</div><div class="q2">though I seek only to do what is good.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 21 Lord, do not forsake me;</div><div class="q2">do not be far from me, my God.</div><div class="q1"> 22Come quickly to help me,</div><div class="q2">my Lord and my Savior.</div>
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 <div class="book bk1CO">
 <div class="chapter ch9" data-usfm="1CO.9">
 <div class="label">9</div><div class="s1">Paul&#8217;s Rights as an Apostle</div><div class="p"> 1Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 3This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4Don&#8217;t we have the right to food and drink? 5Don&#8217;t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord&#8217;s brothers and Cephas#9:5 That is, Peter? 6Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?</div><div class="p"> 7Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn&#8217;t the Law say the same thing? 9For it is written in the Law of Moses: &#8220;Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.&#8221;#9:9 Deut. 25:4 Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10Surely he says this for us, doesn&#8217;t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12If others have this right of support from you, shouldn&#8217;t we have it all the more?</div><div class="p">But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.</div><div class="p"> 13Don&#8217;t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.</div><div class="p"> 15But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. 16For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.</div><div class="s1">Paul&#8217;s Use of His Freedom</div><div class="p"> 19Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God&#8217;s law but am under Christ&#8217;s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.</div><div class="s1">The Need for Self-Discipline</div><div class="p"> 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.</div>
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 <div class="book bk1CO">
 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="1CO.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="s1">Warnings From Israel&#8217;s History</div><div class="p"> 1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.</div><div class="p"> 6Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: &#8220;The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.&#8221;#10:7 Exodus 32:6 8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did&#8212;and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9We should not test Christ,#10:9 Some manuscripts test the Lord as some of them did&#8212;and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did&#8212;and were killed by the destroying angel.</div><div class="p"> 11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don&#8217;t fall! 13No temptation#10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted#10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,#10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.</div><div class="s1">Idol Feasts and the Lord&#8217;s Supper</div><div class="p"> 14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.</div><div class="p"> 18Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord&#8217;s table and the table of demons. 22Are we trying to arouse the Lord&#8217;s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?</div><div class="s1">The Believer&#8217;s Freedom</div><div class="p"> 23&#8220;I have the right to do anything,&#8221; you say&#8212;but not everything is beneficial. &#8220;I have the right to do anything&#8221;&#8212;but not everything is constructive. 24No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.</div><div class="p"> 25Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26for, &#8220;The earth is the Lord&#8217;s, and everything in it.&#8221;#10:26 Psalm 24:1</div><div class="p"> 27If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, &#8220;This has been offered in sacrifice,&#8221; then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29I am referring to the other person&#8217;s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another&#8217;s conscience? 30If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?</div><div class="p"> 31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God&#8212; 33even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.</div>
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 <div class="chapter ch48" data-usfm="GEN.48">
 <div class="label">48</div><div class="s1">Manasseh and Ephraim</div><div class="p"> 1Some time later Joseph was told, &#8220;Your father is ill.&#8221; So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 2When Jacob was told, &#8220;Your son Joseph has come to you,&#8221; Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.</div><div class="p"> 3Jacob said to Joseph, &#8220;God Almighty#48:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4and said to me, &#8216;I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 5&#8220;Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7As I was returning from Paddan,#48:7 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath&#8221; (that is, Bethlehem).</div><div class="p"> 8When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, &#8220;Who are these?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;They are the sons God has given me here,&#8221; Joseph said to his father.</div><div class="p">Then Israel said, &#8220;Bring them to me so I may bless them.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Now Israel&#8217;s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.</div><div class="p"> 11Israel said to Joseph, &#8220;I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then Joseph removed them from Israel&#8217;s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 13And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel&#8217;s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel&#8217;s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim&#8217;s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh&#8217;s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.</div><div class="p"> 15Then he blessed Joseph and said,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;May the God before whom my fathers</div><div class="q2">Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,</div><div class="q1">the God who has been my shepherd</div><div class="q2">all my life to this day,</div><div class="q1"> 16the Angel who has delivered me from all harm</div><div class="q2">&#8212;may he bless these boys.</div><div class="q1">May they be called by my name</div><div class="q2">and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,</div><div class="q1">and may they increase greatly</div><div class="q2">on the earth.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim&#8217;s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father&#8217;s hand to move it from Ephraim&#8217;s head to Manasseh&#8217;s head. 18Joseph said to him, &#8220;No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19But his father refused and said, &#8220;I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.&#8221; 20He blessed them that day and said,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;In your#48:20 The Hebrew is singular. name will Israel pronounce this blessing:</div><div class="q2">&#8216;May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="m">So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.</div><div class="p"> 21Then Israel said to Joseph, &#8220;I am about to die, but God will be with you#48:21 The Hebrew is plural. and take you#48:21 The Hebrew is plural. back to the land of your#48:21 The Hebrew is plural. fathers. 22And to you I give one more ridge of land#48:22 The Hebrew for ridge of land is identical with the place name Shechem. than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.&#8221;</div>
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 <div class="label">50</div><div class="p"> 1Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.</div><div class="p"> 4When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh&#8217;s court, &#8220;If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5&#8216;My father made me swear an oath and said, &#8220;I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.&#8221; Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Pharaoh said, &#8220;Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh&#8217;s officials accompanied him&#8212;the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt&#8212; 8besides all the members of Joseph&#8217;s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father&#8217;s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9Chariots and horsemen#50:9 Or charioteers also went up with him. It was a very large company.</div><div class="p"> 10When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, &#8220;The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.&#8221; That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.#50:11 Abel Mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians.</div><div class="p"> 12So Jacob&#8217;s sons did as he had commanded them: 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 14After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.</div><div class="s1">Joseph Reassures His Brothers</div><div class="p"> 15When Joseph&#8217;s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, &#8220;What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?&#8221; 16So they sent word to Joseph, saying, &#8220;Your father left these instructions before he died: 17&#8216;This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.&#8217; Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.&#8221; When their message came to him, Joseph wept.</div><div class="p"> 18His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. &#8220;We are your slaves,&#8221; they said.</div><div class="p"> 19But Joseph said to them, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21So then, don&#8217;t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.&#8221; And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.</div><div class="s1">The Death of Joseph</div><div class="p"> 22Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father&#8217;s family. He lived a hundred and ten years 23and saw the third generation of Ephraim&#8217;s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph&#8217;s knees.#50:23 That is, were counted as his</div><div class="p"> 24Then Joseph said to his brothers, &#8220;I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.&#8221; 25And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, &#8220;God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh</div><div class="p"> 1Nahash#11:1 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls gifts. Now Nahash king of the Ammonites oppressed the Gadites and Reubenites severely. He gouged out all their right eyes and struck terror and dread in Israel. Not a man remained among the Israelites beyond the Jordan whose right eye was not gouged out by Nahash king of the Ammonites, except that seven thousand men fled from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh Gilead. About a month later, 1 Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to him, &#8220;Make a treaty with us, and we will be subject to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2But Nahash the Ammonite replied, &#8220;I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace on all Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3The elders of Jabesh said to him, &#8220;Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue us, we will surrender to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept aloud. 5Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, &#8220;What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?&#8221; Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.</div><div class="p"> 6When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. 7He took a pair of oxen, cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel, proclaiming, &#8220;This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel.&#8221; Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one. 8When Saul mustered them at Bezek, the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.</div><div class="p"> 9They told the messengers who had come, &#8220;Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, &#8216;By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. 10They said to the Ammonites, &#8220;Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions; during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.</div><div class="s1">Saul Confirmed as King</div><div class="p"> 12The people then said to Samuel, &#8220;Who was it that asked, &#8216;Shall Saul reign over us?&#8217; Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13But Saul said, &#8220;No one will be put to death today, for this day the Lord has rescued Israel.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14Then Samuel said to the people, &#8220;Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.&#8221; 15So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.</div>
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 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch12" data-usfm="1SA.12">
 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Samuel&#8217;s Farewell Speech</div><div class="p"> 1Samuel said to all Israel, &#8220;I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;You have not cheated or oppressed us,&#8221; they replied. &#8220;You have not taken anything from anyone&#8217;s hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Samuel said to them, &#8220;The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;He is witness,&#8221; they said.</div><div class="p"> 6Then Samuel said to the people, &#8220;It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. 7Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10They cried out to the Lord and said, &#8216;We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.&#8217; 11Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,#12:11 Also called Gideon Barak,#12:11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan Jephthah and Samuel,#12:11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samson and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, &#8216;No, we want a king to rule over us&#8217;&#8212;even though the Lord your God was your king. 13Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God&#8212;good! 15But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.</div><div class="p"> 16&#8220;Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.</div><div class="p"> 19The people all said to Samuel, &#8220;Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20&#8220;Do not be afraid,&#8221; Samuel replied. &#8220;You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 23As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch13" data-usfm="1SA.13">
 <div class="label">13</div><div class="s1">Samuel Rebukes Saul</div><div class="p"> 1Saul was thirty#13:1 A few late manuscripts of the Septuagint; Hebrew does not have thirty. years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-#13:1 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Acts 13:21); Masoretic Text does not have forty-. two years.</div><div class="p"> 2Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.</div><div class="p"> 3Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet blown throughout the land and said, &#8220;Let the Hebrews hear!&#8221; 4So all Israel heard the news: &#8220;Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious to the Philistines.&#8221; And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.</div><div class="p"> 5The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand#13:5 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew thirty thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven. 6When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns. 7Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.</div><div class="p">Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul&#8217;s men began to scatter. 9So he said, &#8220;Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.&#8221; And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;What have you done?&#8221; asked Samuel.</div><div class="p">Saul replied, &#8220;When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12I thought, &#8216;Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord&#8217;s favor.&#8217; So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13&#8220;You have done a foolish thing,&#8221; Samuel said. &#8220;You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord&#8217;s command.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then Samuel left Gilgal#13:15 Hebrew; Septuagint Gilgal and went his way; the rest of the people went after Saul to meet the army, and they went out of Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.</div><div class="s1">Israel Without Weapons</div><div class="p"> 16Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah#13:16 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts Geba, a variant of Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash. 17Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual, 18another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.</div><div class="p"> 19Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, &#8220;Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!&#8221; 20So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles#13:20 Septuagint; Hebrew plow points sharpened. 21The price was two-thirds of a shekel#13:21 That is, about 1/4 ounce or about 8 grams for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel#13:21 That is, about 1/8 ounce or about 4 grams for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.</div><div class="p"> 22So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.</div><div class="s1">Jonathan Attacks the Philistines</div><div class="p"> 23Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="1SA.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">The Lord Rejects Saul as King</div><div class="p"> 1Samuel said to Saul, &#8220;I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2This is what the Lord Almighty says: &#8216;I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy#15:3 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verses 8, 9, 15, 18, 20 and 21. all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim&#8212;two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand from Judah. 5Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. 6Then he said to the Kenites, &#8220;Go away, leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt.&#8221; So the Kenites moved away from the Amalekites.</div><div class="p"> 7Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves#15:9 Or the grown bulls; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. and lambs&#8212;everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.</div><div class="p"> 10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11&#8220;I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.&#8221; Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.</div><div class="p"> 12Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, &#8220;Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13When Samuel reached him, Saul said, &#8220;The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord&#8217;s instructions.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14But Samuel said, &#8220;What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Saul answered, &#8220;The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16&#8220;Enough!&#8221; Samuel said to Saul. &#8220;Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;Tell me,&#8221; Saul replied.</div><div class="p"> 17Samuel said, &#8220;Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18And he sent you on a mission, saying, &#8216;Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.&#8217; 19Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20&#8220;But I did obey the Lord,&#8221; Saul said. &#8220;I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22But Samuel replied:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices</div><div class="q2">as much as in obeying the Lord?</div><div class="q1">To obey is better than sacrifice,</div><div class="q2">and to heed is better than the fat of rams.</div><div class="q1"> 23For rebellion is like the sin of divination,</div><div class="q2">and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.</div><div class="q1">Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,</div><div class="q2">he has rejected you as king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Then Saul said to Samuel, &#8220;I have sinned. I violated the Lord&#8217;s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26But Samuel said to him, &#8220;I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28Samuel said to him, &#8220;The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors&#8212;to one better than you. 29He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30Saul replied, &#8220;I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.&#8221; 31So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 32Then Samuel said, &#8220;Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Agag came to him in chains.#15:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. And he thought, &#8220;Surely the bitterness of death is past.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 33But Samuel said,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;As your sword has made women childless,</div><div class="q2">so will your mother be childless among women.&#8221;</div><div class="m">And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.</div><div class="p"> 34Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. 35Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJOB">
 <div class="chapter ch25" data-usfm="JOB.25">
 <div class="label">25</div><div class="s1">Bildad</div><div class="p"> 1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:</div><div class="q1"> 2&#8220;Dominion and awe belong to God;</div><div class="q2">he establishes order in the heights of heaven.</div><div class="q1"> 3Can his forces be numbered?</div><div class="q2">On whom does his light not rise?</div><div class="q1"> 4How then can a mortal be righteous before God?</div><div class="q2">How can one born of woman be pure?</div><div class="q1"> 5If even the moon is not bright</div><div class="q2">and the stars are not pure in his eyes,</div><div class="q1"> 6how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot&#8212;</div><div class="q2">a human being, who is only a worm!&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJOB">
 <div class="chapter ch26" data-usfm="JOB.26">
 <div class="label">26</div><div class="s1">Job</div><div class="p"> 1Then Job replied:</div><div class="q1"> 2&#8220;How you have helped the powerless!</div><div class="q2">How you have saved the arm that is feeble!</div><div class="q1"> 3What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!</div><div class="q2">And what great insight you have displayed!</div><div class="q1"> 4Who has helped you utter these words?</div><div class="q2">And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5&#8220;The dead are in deep anguish,</div><div class="q2">those beneath the waters and all that live in them.</div><div class="q1"> 6The realm of the dead is naked before God;</div><div class="q2">Destruction#26:6 Hebrew Abaddon lies uncovered.</div><div class="q1"> 7He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;</div><div class="q2">he suspends the earth over nothing.</div><div class="q1"> 8He wraps up the waters in his clouds,</div><div class="q2">yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.</div><div class="q1"> 9He covers the face of the full moon,</div><div class="q2">spreading his clouds over it.</div><div class="q1"> 10He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters</div><div class="q2">for a boundary between light and darkness.</div><div class="q1"> 11The pillars of the heavens quake,</div><div class="q2">aghast at his rebuke.</div><div class="q1"> 12By his power he churned up the sea;</div><div class="q2">by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.</div><div class="q1"> 13By his breath the skies became fair;</div><div class="q2">his hand pierced the gliding serpent.</div><div class="q1"> 14And these are but the outer fringe of his works;</div><div class="q2">how faint the whisper we hear of him!</div><div class="q2">Who then can understand the thunder of his power?&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch1" data-usfm="JER.1">
 <div class="label">1</div><div class="p"> 1The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2The word of the Lord came to him in the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah, 3and through the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, down to the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, when the people of Jerusalem went into exile.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="s1">The Call of Jeremiah</div><div class="p"> 4The word of the Lord came to me, saying,</div><div class="q1"> 5&#8220;Before I formed you in the womb I knew#1:5 Or chose you,</div><div class="q2">before you were born I set you apart;</div><div class="q2">I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6&#8220;Alas, Sovereign Lord,&#8221; I said, &#8220;I do not know how to speak; I am too young.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7But the Lord said to me, &#8220;Do not say, &#8216;I am too young.&#8217; You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 9Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, &#8220;I have put my words in your mouth. 10See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11The word of the Lord came to me: &#8220;What do you see, Jeremiah?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I see the branch of an almond tree,&#8221; I replied.</div><div class="p"> 12The Lord said to me, &#8220;You have seen correctly, for I am watching#1:12 The Hebrew for watching sounds like the Hebrew for almond tree. to see that my word is fulfilled.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13The word of the Lord came to me again: &#8220;What do you see?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I see a pot that is boiling,&#8221; I answered. &#8220;It is tilting toward us from the north.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14The Lord said to me, &#8220;From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. 15I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Their kings will come and set up their thrones</div><div class="q2">in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem;</div><div class="q1">they will come against all her surrounding walls</div><div class="q2">and against all the towns of Judah.</div><div class="q1"> 16I will pronounce my judgments on my people</div><div class="q2">because of their wickedness in forsaking me,</div><div class="q1">in burning incense to other gods</div><div class="q2">and in worshiping what their hands have made.</div><div class="p"> 17&#8220;Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land&#8212;against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkJER">
 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="JER.3">
 <div class="label">3</div><div class="q1"> 1&#8220;If a man divorces his wife</div><div class="q2">and she leaves him and marries another man,</div><div class="q1">should he return to her again?</div><div class="q2">Would not the land be completely defiled?</div><div class="q1">But you have lived as a prostitute with many lovers&#8212;</div><div class="q2">would you now return to me?&#8221;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="q1"> 2&#8220;Look up to the barren heights and see.</div><div class="q2">Is there any place where you have not been ravished?</div><div class="q1">By the roadside you sat waiting for lovers,</div><div class="q2">sat like a nomad in the desert.</div><div class="q1">You have defiled the land</div><div class="q2">with your prostitution and wickedness.</div><div class="q1"> 3Therefore the showers have been withheld,</div><div class="q2">and no spring rains have fallen.</div><div class="q1">Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute;</div><div class="q2">you refuse to blush with shame.</div><div class="q1"> 4Have you not just called to me:</div><div class="q2">&#8216;My Father, my friend from my youth,</div><div class="q1"> 5will you always be angry?</div><div class="q2">Will your wrath continue forever?&#8217;</div><div class="q1">This is how you talk,</div><div class="q2">but you do all the evil you can.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Unfaithful Israel</div><div class="p"> 6During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord said to me, &#8220;Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every spreading tree and has committed adultery there. 7I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me but she did not, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it. 8I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery. 9Because Israel&#8217;s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood. 10In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense,&#8221; declares the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 11The Lord said to me, &#8220;Faithless Israel is more righteous than unfaithful Judah. 12Go, proclaim this message toward the north:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;Return, faithless Israel,&#8217; declares the Lord,</div><div class="q2">&#8216;I will frown on you no longer,</div><div class="q1">for I am faithful,&#8217; declares the Lord,</div><div class="q2">&#8216;I will not be angry forever.</div><div class="q1"> 13Only acknowledge your guilt&#8212;</div><div class="q2">you have rebelled against the Lord your God,</div><div class="q1">you have scattered your favors to foreign gods</div><div class="q2">under every spreading tree,</div><div class="q2">and have not obeyed me,&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 14&#8220;Return, faithless people,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;for I am your husband. I will choose you&#8212;one from a town and two from a clan&#8212;and bring you to Zion. 15Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land,&#8221; declares the Lord, &#8220;people will no longer say, &#8216;The ark of the covenant of the Lord.&#8217; It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.</div><div class="p"> 19&#8220;I myself said,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;How gladly would I treat you like my children</div><div class="q2">and give you a pleasant land,</div><div class="q2">the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.&#8217;</div><div class="q1">I thought you would call me &#8216;Father&#8217;</div><div class="q2">and not turn away from following me.</div><div class="q1"> 20But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,</div><div class="q2">so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,&#8221;</div><div class="q4">declares the Lord.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 21A cry is heard on the barren heights,</div><div class="q2">the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel,</div><div class="q1">because they have perverted their ways</div><div class="q2">and have forgotten the Lord their God.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 22&#8220;Return, faithless people;</div><div class="q2">I will cure you of backsliding.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1">&#8220;Yes, we will come to you,</div><div class="q2">for you are the Lord our God.</div><div class="q1"> 23Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills</div><div class="q2">and mountains is a deception;</div><div class="q1">surely in the Lord our God</div><div class="q2">is the salvation of Israel.</div><div class="q1"> 24From our youth shameful gods have consumed</div><div class="q2">the fruits of our ancestors&#8217; labor&#8212;</div><div class="q1">their flocks and herds,</div><div class="q2">their sons and daughters.</div><div class="q1"> 25Let us lie down in our shame,</div><div class="q2">and let our disgrace cover us.</div><div class="q1">We have sinned against the Lord our God,</div><div class="q2">both we and our ancestors;</div><div class="q1">from our youth till this day</div><div class="q2">we have not obeyed the Lord our God.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="MAT.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">Jesus and John the Baptist</div><div class="p"> 1After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.#11:1 Greek in their towns</div><div class="p"> 2When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3to ask him, &#8220;Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Jesus replied, &#8220;Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy#11:5 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7As John&#8217;s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: &#8220;What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 8If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings&#8217; palaces. 9Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This is the one about whom it is written:</div><div class="q1"> &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;I will send my messenger ahead of you,</div><div class="q2"> who will prepare your way before you.&#8217; # 11:10 
 Mal. 3:1
 </div><div class="m"> 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,#11:12 Or been forcefully advancing and violent people have been raiding it. 13For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. 15Whoever has ears, let them hear.</div><div class="p"> 16 &#8220;To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:</div><div class="q1"> 17 &#8220;&#8198;&#8216;We played the pipe for you,</div><div class="q2"> and you did not dance;</div><div class="q1"> we sang a dirge,</div><div class="q2"> and you did not mourn.&#8217;</div><div class="m"> 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, &#8216;He has a demon.&#8217; 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, &#8216;Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.&#8217; But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Woe on Unrepentant Towns</div><div class="p"> 20Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. 21&#8220;Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.#11:23 That is, the realm of the dead For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Father Revealed in the Son</div><div class="p"> 25At that time Jesus said, &#8220;I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.</div><div class="p"> 27 &#8220;All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.</div><div class="p"> 28 &#8220;Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkMAT">
 <div class="chapter ch12" data-usfm="MAT.12">
 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath</div><div class="p"> 1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, &#8220;Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3He answered, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread&#8212;which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5Or haven&#8217;t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7If you had known what these words mean, &#8216;I desire mercy, not sacrifice,&#8217;#12:7 Hosea 6:6 you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, &#8220;Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11He said to them, &#8220;If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Then he said to the man, &#8220;Stretch out your hand.&#8221; So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Chosen Servant</div><div class="p"> 15Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill. 16He warned them not to tell others about him. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:</div><div class="q1"> 18&#8220;Here is my servant whom I have chosen,</div><div class="q2">the one I love, in whom I delight;</div><div class="q1">I will put my Spirit on him,</div><div class="q2">and he will proclaim justice to the nations.</div><div class="q1"> 19He will not quarrel or cry out;</div><div class="q2">no one will hear his voice in the streets.</div><div class="q1"> 20A bruised reed he will not break,</div><div class="q2">and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,</div><div class="q1">till he has brought justice through to victory.</div><div class="q2"> 21In his name the nations will put their hope.&#8221;#12:21 Isaiah 42:1-4</div><div class="s1">Jesus and Beelzebul</div><div class="p"> 22Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23All the people were astonished and said, &#8220;Could this be the Son of David?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, &#8220;It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, &#8220;Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.</div><div class="p"> 29 &#8220;Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man&#8217;s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.</div><div class="p"> 30 &#8220;Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.</div><div class="p"> 33 &#8220;Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">The Sign of Jonah</div><div class="p"> 38Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, &#8220;Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 39He answered, &#8220;A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon&#8217;s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.</div><div class="p"> 43 &#8220;When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, &#8216;I will return to the house I left.&#8217; When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Jesus&#8217; Mother and Brothers</div><div class="p"> 46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, &#8220;Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 48He replied to him, &#8220;Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?&#8221; 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, &#8220;Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.&#8221;</div>
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