³ Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt,^(A) out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand.^(B) Eat nothing containing yeast.^{(C) 4} Today, in the month of Aviv,^(D) you are leaving. ⁵ When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites,^(E) Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites^(F)—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey^(G)—you are to observe this ceremony^(H) in this month: ⁶ For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival^(I) to the Lord. ⁷ Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. ⁸ On that day tell your son,^(J) ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand^(K) and a reminder on your forehead^(L) that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand.^{(M) 10} You must keep this ordinance^(N) at the appointed time^(O) year after year.

¹¹ “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites^(P) and gives it to you, as he promised on oath^(Q) to you and your ancestors,^{(R) 12} you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord.^{(S) 13} Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey,^(T) but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.^(U) Redeem^(V) every firstborn among your sons.^(W)

¹⁴ “In days to come, when your son^(X) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.^{(Y) 15} When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’^{(Z) 16} And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead^(AA) that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Crossing the Sea

¹⁷ When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”^{(AB) 18} So God led^(AC) the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.^[a] The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.^(AD)

¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph^(AE) with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”^[b](AF)

²⁰ After leaving Sukkoth^(AG) they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert.^{(AH) 21} By day the Lord went ahead^(AI) of them in a pillar of cloud^(AJ) to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left^(AK) its place in front of the people.

Joab Murders Abner

²² Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! ²⁵ You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

²⁶ Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. ²⁷ Now when Abner^(A) returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him^(B) in the stomach, and he died.^(C)

²⁸ Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent^(D) before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. ²⁹ May his blood^(E) fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family!^(F) May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore^(G) or leprosy^[a] or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

³⁰ (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

³¹ Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth^(H) and walk in mourning^(I) in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. ³² They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept^(J) aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also.

³³ The king sang this lament^(K) for Abner:

And all the people wept over him again.

³⁵ Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(M) if I taste bread^(N) or anything else before the sun sets!”

³⁶ All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. ³⁷ So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part^(O) in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

³⁸ Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen^(P) in Israel this day? ³⁹ And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah^(Q) are too strong^(R) for me.^(S) May the Lord repay^(T) the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”

¹⁸ They said, “Come, let’s make plans^(A) against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest^(B) will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise,^(C) nor the word from the prophets.^(D) So come, let’s attack him with our tongues^(E) and pay no attention to anything he says.”

19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.^(U) Take along some of the elders^(V) of the people and of the priests ² and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom,^(W) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. There proclaim the words I tell you, ³ and say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, you kings^(X) of Judah and people of Jerusalem. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Listen! I am going to bring a disaster^(Y) on this place that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.^{(Z) 4} For they have forsaken^(AA) me and made this a place of foreign gods^(AB); they have burned incense^(AC) in it to gods that neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah ever knew, and they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.^{(AD) 5} They have built the high places of Baal to burn their children^(AE) in the fire as offerings to Baal—something I did not command or mention, nor did it enter my mind.^{(AF) 6} So beware, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer call this place Topheth^(AG) or the Valley of Ben Hinnom,^(AH) but the Valley of Slaughter.^(AI)

⁷ “‘In this place I will ruin^[a] the plans^(AJ) of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies,^(AK) at the hands of those who want to kill them, and I will give their carcasses^(AL) as food^(AM) to the birds and the wild animals. ⁸ I will devastate this city and make it an object of horror and scorn;^(AN) all who pass by will be appalled^(AO) and will scoff because of all its wounds.^{(AP) 9} I will make them eat^(AQ) the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh because their enemies^(AR) will press the siege so hard against them to destroy them.’

¹⁰ “Then break the jar^(AS) while those who go with you are watching, ¹¹ and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash^(AT) this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury^(AU) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room. ¹² This is what I will do to this place and to those who live here, declares the Lord. I will make this city like Topheth. ¹³ The houses^(AV) in Jerusalem and those of the kings of Judah will be defiled^(AW) like this place, Topheth—all the houses where they burned incense on the roofs^(AX) to all the starry hosts^(AY) and poured out drink offerings^(AZ) to other gods.’”

¹⁴ Jeremiah then returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, and stood in the court^(BA) of the Lord’s temple and said to all the people, ¹⁵ “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster^(BB) I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked^(BC) and would not listen^(BD) to my words.’”

Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man^(A)(B)

5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.^{[a] 2} When Jesus got out of the boat,^(C) a man with an impure spirit^(D) came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.

God’s Love and Ours

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another,^(A) for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God^(B) and knows God.^{(C) 8} Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.^{(D) 9} This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son^(E) into the world that we might live through him.^{(F) 10} This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us^(G) and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.^{(H) 11} Dear friends,^(I) since God so loved us,^(J) we also ought to love one another.^{(K) 12} No one has ever seen God;^(L) but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.^(M)

¹³ This is how we know^(N) that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit.^{(O) 14} And we have seen and testify^(P) that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.^{(Q) 15} If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,^(R) God lives in them and they in God.^{(S) 16} And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love.^(T) Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.^{(U) 17} This is how love is made complete^(V) among us so that we will have confidence^(W) on the day of judgment:^(X) In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear,^(Y) because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.^{(Z) 20} Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister^(AA) is a liar.^(AB) For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen,^(AC) cannot love God, whom they have not seen.^{(AD) 21} And he has given us this command:^(AE) Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.^(AF)