³⁵ “‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor^(A) and are unable to support themselves among you, help them^(B) as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. ³⁶ Do not take interest^(C) or any profit from them, but fear your God,^(D) so that they may continue to live among you. ³⁷ You must not lend them money at interest^(E) or sell them food at a profit. ³⁸ I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan^(F) and to be your God.^(G)

³⁹ “‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves.^{(H) 40} They are to be treated as hired workers^(I) or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. ⁴¹ Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property^(J) of their ancestors.^{(K) 42} Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt,^(L) they must not be sold as slaves. ⁴³ Do not rule over them ruthlessly,^(M) but fear your God.^(N)

⁴⁴ “‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. ⁴⁵ You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. ⁴⁶ You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.

⁴⁷ “‘If a foreigner residing among you becomes rich and any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves^(O) to the foreigner or to a member of the foreigner’s clan, ⁴⁸ they retain the right of redemption^(P) after they have sold themselves. One of their relatives^(Q) may redeem them: ⁴⁹ An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in their clan may redeem them. Or if they prosper,^(R) they may redeem themselves. ⁵⁰ They and their buyer are to count the time from the year they sold themselves up to the Year of Jubilee.^(S) The price for their release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired worker^(T) for that number of years. ⁵¹ If many years remain, they must pay for their redemption a larger share of the price paid for them. ⁵² If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, they are to compute that and pay for their redemption accordingly.^{(U) 53} They are to be treated as workers hired from year to year; you must see to it that those to whom they owe service do not rule over them ruthlessly.^(V)

⁵⁴ “‘Even if someone is not redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, ⁵⁵ for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt.^(W) I am the Lord your God.^(X)

Jerusalem’s Deliverance Foretold^(A)

19 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore^(B) his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord. ² He sent Eliakim^(C) the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests,^(D) all wearing sackcloth,^(E) to the prophet Isaiah^(F) son of Amoz. ³ They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment^(G) of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of the field commander, whom his master, the king of Assyria, has sent to ridicule^(H) the living God, and that he will rebuke^(I) him for the words the Lord your God has heard. Therefore pray for the remnant^(J) that still survives.”

⁵ When King Hezekiah’s officials came to Isaiah, ⁶ Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid^(K) of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed^(L) me. ⁷ Listen! When he hears a certain report,^(M) I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.^(N)’”

⁸ When the field commander heard that the king of Assyria had left Lachish,^(O) he withdrew and found the king fighting against Libnah.^(P)

⁹ Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush,^[a] was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word: ¹⁰ “Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend^(Q) on deceive^(R) you when he says, ‘Jerusalem will not be given into the hands of the king of Assyria.’ ¹¹ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered? ¹² Did the gods of the nations that were destroyed by my predecessors deliver^(S) them—the gods of Gozan,^(T) Harran,^(U) Rezeph and the people of Eden who were in Tel Assar? ¹³ Where is the king of Hamath or the king of Arpad? Where are the kings of Lair, Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?”^(V)

Babylon as God’s Sword of Judgment

21 ^[a]The word of the Lord came to me:^{(A) 2} “Son of man, set your face against^(B) Jerusalem and preach against the sanctuary.^(C) Prophesy against^(D) the land of Israel ³ and say to her: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am against you.^(E) I will draw my sword^(F) from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked.^{(G) 4} Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, my sword^(H) will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.^{(I) 5} Then all people will know that I the Lord have drawn my sword^(J) from its sheath; it will not return^(K) again.’^(L)

⁶ “Therefore groan, son of man! Groan before them with broken heart and bitter grief.^{(M) 7} And when they ask you, ‘Why are you groaning?^(N)’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt with fear^(O) and every hand go limp;^(P) every spirit will become faint^(Q) and every leg will be wet with urine.’^(R) It is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

⁸ The word of the Lord came to me: ⁹ “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘This is what the Lord says:

“‘Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my royal son? The sword despises every such stick.^(T)

¹³ “‘Testing will surely come. And what if even the scepter, which the sword despises, does not continue? declares the Sovereign Lord.’

Jesus and Beelzebul^(A)(B)

¹⁴ Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.^{(C) 15} But some of them said, “By Beelzebul,^(D) the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”^{(E) 16} Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.^(F)

¹⁷ Jesus knew their thoughts^(G) and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. ¹⁸ If Satan^(H) is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I drive out demons by the finger of God,^(I) then the kingdom of God^(J) has come upon you.

²¹ “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. ²² But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

²³ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.^(K)

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings

¹⁶ I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool.^(A) But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷ In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,^(B) but as a fool.^{(C) 18} Since many are boasting in the way the world does,^(D) I too will boast.^{(E) 19} You gladly put up with^(F) fools since you are so wise!^{(G) 20} In fact, you even put up with^(H) anyone who enslaves you^(I) or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹ To my shame I admit that we were too weak^(J) for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.^{(K) 22} Are they Hebrews? So am I.^(L) Are they Israelites? So am I.^(M) Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.^(N)