Psalm 141

New International Version

Psalm 141

A psalm of David.

¹I call to you, Lord, come quickly^(A) to me;
hear me^(B) when I call to you.
²May my prayer be set before you like incense;^(C)
may the lifting up of my hands^(D) be like the evening sacrifice.^(E)

³Set a guard over my mouth,^(F) Lord;
    keep watch over the door of my lips.^(G)
⁴Do not let my heart^(H) be drawn to what is evil
    so that I take part in wicked deeds^(I)
along with those who are evildoers;
    do not let me eat their delicacies.^(J)

⁵Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
let him rebuke me^(K)—that is oil on my head.^(L)
My head will not refuse it,
for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.

⁶Their rulers will be thrown down from the cliffs,^(M)
and the wicked will learn that my words were well spoken.
⁷They will say, “As one plows^(N) and breaks up the earth,^(O)
so our bones have been scattered at the mouth^(P) of the grave.”

⁸But my eyes are fixed^(Q) on you, Sovereign Lord;
    in you I take refuge^(R)—do not give me over to death.
⁹Keep me safe^(S) from the traps set by evildoers,^(T)
    from the snares^(U) they have laid for me.
¹⁰Let the wicked fall^(V) into their own nets,
    while I pass by in safety.^(W)

Jeremiah 29:1-14

New International Version

A Letter to the Exiles

29 This is the text of the letter^(A) that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.^(B) ²(This was after King Jehoiachin^[a]^(C) and the queen mother,^(D) the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.) ³He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:

⁴This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried^(E) into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵“Build^(F) houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.^(G) ⁷Also, seek^(H) the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray^(I) to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” ⁸Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets^(J) and diviners among you deceive^(K) you. Do not listen to the dreams^(L) you encourage them to have.^(M) ⁹They are prophesying lies^(N) to you in my name. I have not sent^(O) them,” declares the Lord.

¹⁰This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years^(P) are completed for Babylon, I will come to you^(Q) and fulfill my good promise^(R) to bring you back^(S) to this place. ¹¹For I know the plans^(T) I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper^(U) you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.^(V) ¹²Then you will call^(W) on me and come and pray^(X) to me, and I will listen^(Y) to you. ¹³You will seek^(Z) me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.^(AA) ¹⁴I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back^(AB) from captivity.^[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”^(AC)

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Footnotes

Jeremiah 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin
Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes

Romans 11:13-24

New International Version

¹³I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,^(A) I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy^(B) and save^(C) some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection brought reconciliation^(D) to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?^(E) ¹⁶If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits^(F) is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷If some of the branches have been broken off,^(G) and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others^(H) and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.^(I) ¹⁹You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.^(J) Do not be arrogant,^(K) but tremble.^(L) ²¹For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

²²Consider therefore the kindness^(M) and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue^(N) in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.^(O) ²³And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.^(P) ²⁴After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree,^(Q) how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

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John 11:1-27

New International Version

The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,^(A) the village of Mary and her sister Martha.^(B) ²(This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.)^(C) ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love^(D) is sick.”

⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory^(E) so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”^(F)

⁸“But Rabbi,”^(G) they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you,^(H) and yet you are going back?”

⁹Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light.^(I) ¹⁰It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

¹¹After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend^(J) Lazarus has fallen asleep;^(K) but I am going there to wake him up.”

¹²His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” ¹³Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.^(L)

¹⁴So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

¹⁶Then Thomas^(M) (also known as Didymus^[a]) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Jesus Comforts the Sisters of Lazarus

¹⁷On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.^(N) ¹⁸Now Bethany^(O) was less than two miles^[b] from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.^(P) ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.^(Q)

²¹“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.^(R) ²²But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”^(S)

²³Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection^(T) at the last day.”^(U)

²⁵Jesus said to her, “I am^(V) the resurrection and the life.^(W) The one who believes^(X) in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶and whoever lives by believing^(Y) in me will never die.^(Z) Do you believe this?”