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Israel Exalted at Last

22 Thus says the Lord God:

I myself will take a sprig
    from the lofty top of a cedar;
    I will set it out.
I will break off a tender one
    from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will plant it
    on a high and lofty mountain.
23 On the mountain height of Israel
    I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
    and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
    in the shade of its branches will nest
    winged creatures of every kind.
24 All the trees of the field shall know
    that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree,
    I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
    and make the dry tree flourish.
I the Lord have spoken;
    I will accomplish it.

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22 “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will take a shoot(A) from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a high and lofty mountain.(B) 23 On the mountain heights(C) of Israel I will plant it; it will produce branches and bear fruit(D) and become a splendid cedar. Birds of every kind will nest in it; they will find shelter in the shade of its branches.(E) 24 All the trees of the forest(F) will know that I the Lord bring down(G) the tall tree and make the low tree grow tall. I dry up the green tree and make the dry tree flourish.(H)

“‘I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it.(I)’”

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to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
    and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
    to the melody of the lyre.

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proclaiming your love in the morning(A)
    and your faithfulness at night,
to the music of the ten-stringed lyre(B)
    and the melody of the harp.(C)

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13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
    they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit;
    they are always green and full of sap,

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13 planted in the house of the Lord,
    they will flourish in the courts of our God.(A)
14 They will still bear fruit(B) in old age,
    they will stay fresh and green,

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15 showing that the Lord is upright;
    he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

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15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.(A)

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So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

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Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight.(A) We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.(B) So we make it our goal to please him,(C) whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us(D) for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

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The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

The Use of Parables

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.

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The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.(A) A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”(B)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed(C)

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,(D) or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.(E) 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable.(F) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

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