¹⁰ When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build,^{(A) 11} houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig,^(B) and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied,^{(C) 12} be careful that you do not forget^(D) the Lord, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

¹³ Fear the Lord^(E) your God, serve him only^(F) and take your oaths^(G) in his name.^{(H) 14} Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; ¹⁵ for the Lord your God^(I), who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. ¹⁶ Do not put the Lord your God to the test^(J) as you did at Massah. ¹⁷ Be sure to keep^(K) the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you.^{(L) 18} Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight,^(M) so that it may go well^(N) with you and you may go in and take over the good land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors, ¹⁹ thrusting out all your enemies^(O) before you, as the Lord said.

²⁰ In the future, when your son asks you,^(P) “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the Lord our God has commanded you?” ²¹ tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.^{(Q) 22} Before our eyes the Lord sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. ²³ But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. ²⁴ The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the Lord our God,^(R) so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today.^{(S) 25} And if we are careful to obey all this law^(T) before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.^(U)”

Josiah Celebrates the Passover^(A)

35 Josiah celebrated the Passover^(B) to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord’s temple. ³ He said to the Levites, who instructed^(C) all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. ⁴ Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions,^(D) according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

⁵ “Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people. ⁶ Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves^(E) and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”

⁷ Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings,^(F) and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions.^(G)

⁸ His officials also contributed^(H) voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites. Hilkiah,^(I) Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle. ⁹ Also Konaniah^(J) along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad,^(K) the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.

¹⁰ The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions^(L) as the king had ordered.^{(M) 11} The Passover lambs were slaughtered,^(N) and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. ¹² They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. ¹³ They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed,^(O) and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people. ¹⁴ After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions^(P) until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.

¹⁵ The musicians,^(Q) the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

¹⁶ So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. ¹⁷ The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. ¹⁸ The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

The Day of the Lord

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi,^(A) who sinned,^(B) this man^(C) or his parents,^(D) that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.^{(E) 4} As long as it is day,^(F) we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”^(G)

⁶ After saying this, he spit^(H) on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”^(I) (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.^(J)

⁸ His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”^{(K) 9} Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”^(L)

¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

¹⁰ but it has now been revealed^(A) through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,^(B) who has destroyed death^(C) and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. ¹¹ And of this gospel^(D) I was appointed^(E) a herald and an apostle and a teacher.^{(F) 12} That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame,^(G) because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard^(H) what I have entrusted to him until that day.^(I)

¹³ What you heard from me,^(J) keep^(K) as the pattern^(L) of sound teaching,^(M) with faith and love in Christ Jesus.^{(N) 14} Guard^(O) the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.^(P)

Examples of Disloyalty and Loyalty

¹⁵ You know that everyone in the province of Asia^(Q) has deserted me,^(R) including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶ May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus,^(S) because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed^(T) of my chains.^{(U) 17} On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!^(V) You know very well in how many ways he helped me^(W) in Ephesus.^(X)