Psalm 81^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] Of Asaph.

² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,^(A) so that by it you may grow up^(B) in your salvation,

The Valley of Dry Bones

37 The hand of the Lord was on me,^(A) and he brought me out by the Spirit^(B) of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley;^(C) it was full of bones.^{(D) 2} He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.^(E)”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!^{(F) 5} This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life.^{(G) 6} I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.^(H)’”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath;^(I) prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds^(J) and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded^(K) me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.^(L)

¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’^{(M) 12} Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.^{(N) 13} Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord,^(O) when I open your graves and bring you up from them.^{(P) 14} I will put my Spirit^(Q) in you and you will live, and I will settle^(R) you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.^(S)’”

Psalm 33

⁴ for everyone born of God^(A) overcomes^(B) the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. ⁵ Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.^(C)

⁶ This is the one who came by water and blood^(D)—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.^{(E) 7} For there are three^(F) that testify: ⁸ the^[a] Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. ⁹ We accept human testimony,^(G) but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God,^(H) which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony.^(I) Whoever does not believe God has made him out to be a liar,^(J) because they have not believed the testimony God has given about his Son.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,^(A) Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace^(B) be with you!”^{(C) 20} After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.^(D) The disciples were overjoyed^(E) when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!^(F) As the Father has sent me,^(G) I am sending you.”^{(H) 22} And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.^{(I) 23} If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”^(J)

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ Now Thomas^(K) (also known as Didymus^[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side,^(L) I will not believe.”^(M)

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace^(N) be with you!”^{(O) 27} Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”^(P)

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;^(Q) blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”^(R)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs^(S) in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.^{(T) 31} But these are written that you may believe^[b](U) that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,^(V) and that by believing you may have life in his name.^(W)