Sending Out the Twelve^(A)

9 Then ^(B)He called His twelve disciples together and ^(C)gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ^2 (D)He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ^3 (E)And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.

^4 (F)“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. ^5 (G)And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, ^(H)shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”

^6 (I)So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

Herod Seeks to See Jesus^(J)

^7 (K)Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, ⁸ and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. ⁹ Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” ^(L)So he sought to see Him.

Feeding the Five Thousand^(M)

^10 (N)And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. ^(O)Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. ¹¹ But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. ^12 (P)When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

¹³ But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴ For there were about five thousand men.

Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” ¹⁵ And they did so, and made them all sit down.

¹⁶ Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He ^(Q)blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. ¹⁷ So they all ate and were ^[a]filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ^(R)

^18 (S)And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

¹⁹ So they answered and said, ^(T)“John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.”

²⁰ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

^(U)Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection^(V)

^21 (W)And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, ²² saying, ^(X)“The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him^(Y)

^23 (Z)Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ^[b]daily, and follow Me. ^24 (AA)For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. ^25 (AB)For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? ^26 (AC)For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ^(AD)ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. ^27 (AE)But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount^(AF)

^28 (AG)Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. ³⁰ And behold, two men talked with Him, who were ^(AH)Moses and ^(AI)Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of His ^[c]decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² But Peter and those with him ^(AJ)were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. ³³ Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three ^[d]tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.

³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the ^(AK)cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ^(AL)“This is ^[e]My beloved Son. ^(AM)Hear Him!” ³⁶ When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. ^(AN)But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.

A Boy Is Healed^(AO)

^37 (AP)Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. ³⁸ Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹ And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. ⁴⁰ So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus answered and said, “O ^[f]faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and ^[g]bear with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴² And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Jesus Again Predicts His Death^(AQ)

⁴³ And they were all amazed at the majesty of God.

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, ^44 (AR)“Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” ^45 (AS)But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.

Who Is the Greatest?^(AT)

^46 (AU)Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. ⁴⁷ And Jesus, ^(AV)perceiving the thought of their heart, took a ^(AW)little child and set him by Him, ⁴⁸ and said to them, ^(AX)“Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and ^(AY)whoever receives Me ^(AZ)receives Him who sent Me. ^(BA)For he who is least among you all will be great.”

Jesus Forbids Sectarianism^(BB)

^49 (BC)Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for ^(BD)he who is not against ^[h]us is on ^[i]our side.”

A Samaritan Village Rejects the Savior

⁵¹ Now it came to pass, when the time had come for ^(BE)Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, ⁵² and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. ⁵³ But ^(BF)they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ And when His disciples ^(BG)James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, ^[j]just as ^(BH)Elijah did?”

⁵⁵ But He turned and rebuked them, ^[k]and said, “You do not know what manner of ^(BI)spirit you are of. ^56 [l]For ^(BJ)the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

The Cost of Discipleship^(BK)

^57 (BL)Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man ^(BM)has nowhere to lay His head.”

^59 (BN)Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”

But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ And another also said, “Lord, ^(BO)I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is ^(BP)fit for the kingdom of God.”

The Seventy Sent Out

10 After these things the Lord appointed ^[m]seventy others also, and ^(BQ)sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ² Then He said to them, ^(BR)“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore ^(BS)pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. ³ Go your way; ^(BT)behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. ^4 (BU)Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and ^(BV)greet no one along the road. ^5 (BW)But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. ^7 (BX)And remain in the same house, ^(BY)eating and drinking such things as they give, for ^(BZ)the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. ⁸ Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. ^9 (CA)And heal the sick there, and say to them, ^(CB)‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ^11 (CC)‘The very dust of your city which clings to ^[n]us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ ^12 [o]But I say to you that ^(CD)it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

Woe to the Impenitent Cities^(CE)

^13 (CF)“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! ^(CG)For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ^15 (CH)And you, Capernaum, ^[p]who are ^(CI)exalted to heaven, ^(CJ)will be brought down to Hades. ^16 (CK)He who hears you hears Me, ^(CL)he who rejects you rejects Me, and ^(CM)he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”

The Seventy Return with Joy

¹⁷ Then ^(CN)the ^[q]seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

¹⁸ And He said to them, ^(CO)“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Behold, ^(CP)I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰ Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but ^[r]rather rejoice because ^(CQ)your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit^(CR)

^21 (CS)In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ^22 (CT)All^[s] things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and ^(CU)no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

²³ Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, ^(CV)“Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; ²⁴ for I tell you ^(CW)that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan^(CX)

²⁵ And behold, a certain ^[t]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ^(CY)“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

²⁷ So he answered and said, ^(CZ)“ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ^(DA)‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

²⁸ And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and ^(DB)you will live.”

²⁹ But he, wanting to ^(DC)justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among ^[u]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, ^(DD)he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³ But a certain ^(DE)Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had ^(DF)compassion. ³⁴ So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day, ^[v]when he departed, he took out two ^(DG)denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ ³⁶ So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

³⁷ And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, ^(DH)“Go and do likewise.”

Mary and Martha Worship and Serve

³⁸ Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named ^(DI)Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, ^(DJ)who also ^(DK)sat at ^[w]Jesus’ feet and heard His word. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

⁴¹ And ^[x]Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴² But ^(DL)one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The Model Prayer^(DM)

11 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

² So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

A Friend Comes at Midnight

⁵ And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; ⁶ for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? ⁸ I say to you, ^(DP)though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking^(DQ)

^9 (DR)“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; ^(DS)seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ^11 (DT)If a son asks for ^[ac]bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give ^(DU)good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

A House Divided Cannot Stand^(DV)

^14 (DW)And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. ¹⁵ But some of them said, ^(DX)“He casts out demons by ^[ad]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”

¹⁶ Others, testing Him, ^(DY)sought from Him a sign from heaven. ^17 (DZ)But ^(EA)He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. ¹⁸ If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. ¹⁹ And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if I cast out demons ^(EB)with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ^21 (EC)When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²² But ^(ED)when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his ^[ae]spoils. ^23 (EE)He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

An Unclean Spirit Returns^(EF)

^24 (EG)“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and ^(EH)the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Keeping the Word

²⁷ And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, ^(EI)“Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

²⁸ But He said, ^(EJ)“More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Seeking a Sign^(EK)

^29 (EL)And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a ^(EM)sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah ^[af]the prophet. ³⁰ For as ^(EN)Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. ^31 (EO)The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a ^(EP)greater than Solomon is here. ³² The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for ^(EQ)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.

The Lamp of the Body^(ER)

^33 (ES)“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a ^(ET)basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. ^34 (EU)The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is ^[ag]good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is ^[ah]bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵ Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶ If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.”

Woe to the Pharisees and Lawyers

³⁷ And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. ^38 (EV)When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

^39 (EW)Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but ^(EX)your inward part is full of ^[ai]greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ Foolish ones! Did not ^(EY)He who made the outside make the inside also? ^41 (EZ)But rather give alms of ^[aj]such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.

^42 (FA)“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and ^(FB)pass by justice and the ^(FC)love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ^43 (FD)Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the ^[ak]best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ^44 (FE)Woe to you, ^[al]scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! ^(FF)For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”

⁴⁵ Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”

⁴⁶ And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! ^(FG)For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ^47 (FH)Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸ In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ^(FI)‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰ that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, ^51 (FJ)from the blood of Abel to ^(FK)the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

^52 (FL)“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

^53 [am]And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for Him, ^[an]and ^(FM)seeking to catch Him in something He might say, ^[ao]that they might accuse Him.

Beware of Hypocrisy^(FN)

12 In ^(FO)the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, ^(FP)“Beware of the ^[ap]leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ^2 (FQ)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³ Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God^(FR)

^4 (FS)“And I say to you, ^(FT)My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, ^(FU)fear Him!

⁶ “Are not five sparrows sold for two ^[aq]copper coins? And ^(FV)not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Confess Christ Before Men^(FW)

^8 (FX)“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me ^(FY)before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. ⁹ But he who ^(FZ)denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

¹⁰ “And ^(GA)anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

^11 (GB)“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. ¹² For the Holy Spirit will ^(GC)teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

¹⁴ But He said to him, ^(GD)“Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And He said to them, ^(GE)“Take heed and beware of ^[ar]covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

¹⁶ Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, ^(GF)“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; ^(GG)eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night ^(GH)your soul will be required of you; ^(GI)then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

²¹ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, ^(GJ)and is not rich toward God.”

Do Not Worry^(GK)

²² Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, ^(GL)do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. ²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and ^(GM)God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? ²⁵ And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁶ If you then are not able to do the least, why ^[as]are you anxious for the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even ^(GN)Solomon in all his glory was not ^[at]arrayed like one of these. ²⁸ If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of ^(GO)little faith?

²⁹ “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. ³⁰ For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father ^(GP)knows that you need these things. ^31 (GQ)But seek ^[au]the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

³² “Do not fear, little flock, for ^(GR)it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ^33 (GS)Sell what you have and give ^(GT)alms; ^(GU)provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant^(GV)

^35 (GW)“Let your waist be girded and ^(GX)your lamps burning; ³⁶ and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. ^37 (GY)Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. ³⁸ And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. ^39 (GZ)But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would ^[av]have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ^40 (HA)Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

⁴¹ Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?”

⁴² And the Lord said, ^(HB)“Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food ^[aw]in due season? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ^44 (HC)Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ^45 (HD)But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that servant will come on a ^(HE)day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷ And ^(HF)that servant who ^(HG)knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ^48 (HH)But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Christ Brings Division^(HI)

^49 (HJ)“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But ^(HK)I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is ^(HL)accomplished! ^51 (HM)Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, ^(HN)but rather division. ^52 (HO)For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. ^53 (HP)Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Discern the Time^(HQ)

⁵⁴ Then He also said to the multitudes, ^(HR)“Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. ⁵⁵ And when you see the ^(HS)south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern ^(HT)this time?

Make Peace with Your Adversary

⁵⁷ “Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right? ^58 (HU)When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort ^(HV)along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.”

Moses Commands Obedience

4 “Now, O Israel, listen to ^(A)the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and ^[a]possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. ^2 (B)You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. ³ Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at ^(C)Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. ⁴ But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.

⁵ “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. ⁶ Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is ^(D)your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

⁷ “For ^(E)what great nation is there that has ^(F)God^[b] so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? ⁸ And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? ⁹ Only take heed to yourself, and diligently ^(G)keep yourself, lest you ^(H)forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And ^(I)teach them to your children and your grandchildren, ¹⁰ especially concerning ^(J)the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’

¹¹ “Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. ^12 (K)And the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of the words, but saw no ^[c]form; ^(L)you only heard a voice. ^13 (M)So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, ^(N)the Ten Commandments; and ^(O)He wrote them on two tablets of stone. ¹⁴ And ^(P)the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might ^[d]observe them in the land which you cross over to possess.

Beware of Idolatry

^15 (Q)“Take careful heed to yourselves, for you saw no ^(R)form when the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, ¹⁶ lest you ^(S)act corruptly and ^(T)make for yourselves a carved image in the ^[e]form of any figure: ^(U)the likeness of male or female, ¹⁷ the likeness of any animal that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, ¹⁸ the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water beneath the earth. ¹⁹ And take heed, lest you ^(V)lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, ^(W)all the host of heaven, you feel driven to ^(X)worship them and serve them, which the Lord your God has ^[f]given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. ²⁰ But the Lord has taken you and ^(Y)brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be ^(Z)His people, an inheritance, as you are this day. ²¹ Furthermore ^(AA)the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and swore that ^(AB)I would not cross over the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. ²² But ^(AC)I must die in this land, ^(AD)I must not cross over the Jordan; but you shall cross over and ^[g]possess ^(AE)that good land. ²³ Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, ^(AF)and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. ²⁴ For ^(AG)the Lord your God is a consuming fire, ^(AH)a jealous God.

²⁵ “When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and ^(AI)do evil in the sight of the Lord your God to provoke Him to anger, ^26 (AJ)I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not ^[h]prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. ²⁷ And the Lord ^(AK)will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you. ²⁸ And ^(AL)there you will serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, ^(AM)which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. ^29 (AN)But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰ When you are in ^[i]distress, and all these things come upon you in the ^(AO)latter days, when you ^(AP)turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice ³¹ (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor ^(AQ)destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

³² “For ^(AR)ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask ^(AS)from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. ^33 (AT)Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live? ³⁴ Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, ^(AU)by trials, ^(AV)by signs, by wonders, by war, ^(AW)by a mighty hand and ^(AX)an outstretched arm, ^(AY)and by great ^[j]terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? ³⁵ To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; ^(AZ)there is none other besides Him. ^36 (BA)Out of heaven He let you hear His voice, that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. ³⁷ And because ^(BB)He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their ^[k]descendants after them; and ^(BC)He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, ^38 (BD)driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. ³⁹ Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that ^(BE)the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. ^40 (BF)You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that ^[l]it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may ^[m]prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

Cities of Refuge East of the Jordan

⁴¹ Then Moses ^(BG)set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, ^42 (BH)that the manslayer might flee there, who kills his neighbor unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and that by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: ^43 (BI)Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.

Introduction to God’s Law

⁴⁴ Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel. ⁴⁵ These are the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which Moses spoke to the children of Israel after they came out of Egypt, ⁴⁶ on this side of the Jordan, ^(BJ)in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel ^(BK)defeated^[n] after they came out of Egypt. ⁴⁷ And they took possession of his land and the land ^(BL)of Og king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were on this side of the Jordan, toward the ^[o]rising of the sun, ^48 (BM)from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, even to Mount ^[p]Sion (that is, ^(BN)Hermon), ⁴⁹ and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the ^(BO)slopes of Pisgah.

The Ten Commandments Reviewed^(BP)

5 And Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. ^2 (BQ)The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. ³ The Lord ^(BR)did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive. ^4 (BS)The Lord talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. ^5 (BT)I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord; for ^(BU)you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain. He said:

²² “These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And ^(CO)He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

The People Afraid of God’s Presence^(CP)

^23 (CQ)“So it was, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders. ²⁴ And you said: ‘Surely the Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and ^(CR)we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he ^(CS)still lives. ²⁵ Now therefore, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us; ^(CT)if we hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore, then we shall die. ^26 (CU)For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? ²⁷ You go near and hear all that the Lord our God may say, and ^(CV)tell us all that the Lord our God says to you, and we will hear and do it.’

²⁸ “Then the Lord heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and the Lord said to me: ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. ^(CW)They are right in all that they have spoken. ^29 (CX)Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and ^(CY)always keep all My commandments, ^(CZ)that it might be well with them and with their children forever! ³⁰ Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” ³¹ But as for you, stand here by Me, ^(DA)and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’

³² “Therefore you shall ^[x]be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; ^(DB)you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. ³³ You shall walk in ^(DC)all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live ^(DD)and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.