Solomon Blesses the People

6 ^(A)Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. ² But I have built you ^(B)an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.” ³ Then the king turned around and blessed all the assembly of Israel, while all the assembly of Israel stood. ⁴ And he said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to David my father, saying, ⁵ ‘Since the day that I brought my people out of the land of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel in which to build a house, that my name might be there, and I chose no man as prince over my people Israel; ^6 (C)but I have chosen Jerusalem that my name may be there, ^(D)and I have chosen David to be over my people Israel.’ ^7 (E)Now it was in the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁸ But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas ^(F)it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. ⁹ Nevertheless, it is not you who shall build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’ ¹⁰ Now the Lord has fulfilled his promise that he made. For I have risen in the place of David my father and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and I have built the house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹¹ And there I have set the ark, ^(G)in which is the covenant of the Lord that he made with the people of Israel.”

Solomon's Prayer of Dedication

¹² Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands. ^13 (H)Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits^[a] long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high, and had set it in the court, and he stood on it. ^(I)Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven, ¹⁴ and said, “O Lord, God of Israel, ^(J)there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, ^(K)keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, ^15 (L)who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. ¹⁶ Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, ^(M)‘You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, ^(N)if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me.’ ¹⁷ Now therefore, O Lord, God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David.

¹⁸ “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, ^(O)heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! ¹⁹ Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, ^20 (P)that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. ²¹ And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, ^(Q)and when you hear, forgive.

²² “If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, ²³ then hear from heaven and act and judge your servants, repaying the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

²⁴ “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, ^25 (R)then hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to them and to their fathers.

^26 (S)“When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict^[b] them, ^27 (T)then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way^[c] in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

^28 (U)“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, ²⁹ whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, ^30 (V)then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, ^(W)for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, ³¹ that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

³² “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, ³³ hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house ^(X)that I have built is called by your name.

³⁴ “If your people go out to battle against their enemies, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁵ then hear from heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

³⁶ “If they sin against you—^(Y)for there is no one who does not sin—and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near, ³⁷ yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity, saying, ‘We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,’ ³⁸ if they repent with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their captivity to which they were carried captive, and pray toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, ³⁹ then hear from heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their pleas, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you. ⁴⁰ Now, O my God, ^(Z)let your eyes be open ^(AA)and your ears attentive to the prayer of this place.

Judging Others

7 ^(A)“Judge not, that you be not judged. ^2 (B)For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and ^(C)with the measure you use it will be measured to you. ³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but ^(D)do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

^6 (E)“Do not give ^(F)dogs what is holy, and do not throw your ^(G)pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Ask, and It Will Be Given

^7 (H)“Ask, ^(I)and it will be given to you; ^(J)seek, and you will find; ^(K)knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks him for ^(L)bread, will give him ^(M)a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, ^(N)who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will ^(O)your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

¹² “So ^(P)whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is ^(Q)the Law and the Prophets.

^13 (R)“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy^[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴ For the gate is narrow and ^(S)the way is hard that leads to life, and ^(T)those who find it are few.

A Tree and Its Fruit

^15 (U)“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ^(V)ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will recognize them ^(W)by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ So, ^(X)every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. ^19 (Y)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will recognize them ^(Z)by their fruits.

I Never Knew You

^21 (AA)“Not everyone who ^(AB)says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will ^(AC)enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who ^(AD)does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ^22 (AE)On that day ^(AF)many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not ^(AG)prophesy in your name, and cast out demons ^(AH)in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ^23 (AI)And then will I declare to them, ‘I ^(AJ)never knew you; ^(AK)depart from me, ^(AL)you workers of lawlessness.’

Build Your House on the Rock

^24 (AM)“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like ^(AN)a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. ²⁶ And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like ^(AO)a foolish man who built his house on the sand. ²⁷ And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

The Authority of Jesus

²⁸ And when Jesus finished these sayings, ^(AP)the crowds were astonished at his teaching, ^29 (AQ)for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

8 When he came down from the mountain, ^(AR)great crowds followed him. ^2 (AS)And behold, a leper^[b] came to him and ^(AT)knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ³ And Jesus^[c] stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. ⁴ And Jesus said to him, ^(AU)“See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, ^(AV)show yourself to the priest and ^(AW)offer the gift that Moses commanded, ^(AX)for a proof to them.”

The Faith of a Centurion

^5 (AY)When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, ⁶ “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” ⁷ And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” ⁸ But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but ^(AZ)only say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,^[d] ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” ¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, ^(BA)he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with ^(BB)no one in Israel^[e] have I found such faith. ¹¹ I tell you, ^(BC)many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, ^12 (BD)while the sons of the kingdom ^(BE)will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place ^(BF)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ¹³ And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you ^(BG)as you have believed.” ^(BH)And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Heals Many

^14 (BI)And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw ^(BJ)his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. ¹⁵ He ^(BK)touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. ¹⁶ That evening they brought to him many who were ^(BL)oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits ^(BM)with a word and healed all who were sick. ^17 (BN)This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ^(BO)“He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

The Cost of Following Jesus

¹⁸ Now ^(BP)when Jesus saw a crowd around him, ^(BQ)he gave orders to go over to the other side. ^19 (BR)And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” ²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ²¹ Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” ²² And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave ^(BS)the dead to bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms a Storm

^23 (BT)And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but ^(BU)he was asleep. ²⁵ And they went and woke him, saying, ^(BV)“Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” ²⁶ And he said to them, “Why are you ^(BW)afraid, ^(BX)O you of little faith?” Then he rose and ^(BY)rebuked the winds and the sea, and ^(BZ)there was a great calm. ²⁷ And the men ^(CA)marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even ^(CB)winds and sea obey him?”

Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

^28 (CC)And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes,^[f] two ^(CD)demon-possessed^[g] men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ And behold, they ^(CE)cried out, “What have you to do with us, ^(CF)O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us ^(CG)before the time?” ³⁰ Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹ And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” ³² And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. ³³ The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the ^(CH)demon-possessed men. ³⁴ And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, ^(CI)they begged him to leave their region.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

9 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to ^(CJ)his own city. ^2 (CK)And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus ^(CL)saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ^(CM)“Take heart, my son; ^(CN)your sins are forgiven.” ³ And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, ^(CO)“This man is blaspheming.” ⁴ But Jesus, ^(CP)knowing^[h] their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ⁶ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” ⁷ And he rose and went home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it, ^(CQ)they were afraid, and ^(CR)they glorified God, who had ^(CS)given such authority to men.

Jesus Calls Matthew

^9 (CT)As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called ^(CU)Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

¹⁰ And as Jesus^[i] reclined at table in the house, behold, many ^(CV)tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ^(CW)“Why does your teacher eat with ^(CX)tax collectors and sinners?” ¹² But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ Go and learn ^(CY)what this means: ^(CZ)‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For ^(DA)I came not to call the righteous, ^(DB)but sinners.”

A Question About Fasting

¹⁴ Then ^(DC)the disciples of John came to him, saying, ^(DD)“Why do we and ^(DE)the Pharisees fast,^[j] but your disciples do not fast?” ¹⁵ And Jesus said to them, ^(DF)“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? ^(DG)The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and ^(DH)then they will fast. ¹⁶ No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. ¹⁷ Neither is new wine put into old ^(DI)wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

^18 (DJ)While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and ^(DK)knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. ²⁰ And behold, a woman ^(DL)who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched ^(DM)the fringe of his garment, ²¹ for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” ²² Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ^(DN)“Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” ^(DO)And instantly^[k] the woman was made well. ²³ And when Jesus came to the ruler's house and saw ^(DP)the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, ²⁴ he said, “Go away, for ^(DQ)the girl is not dead but ^(DR)sleeping.” And they laughed at him. ²⁵ But ^(DS)when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and ^(DT)took her by the hand, and the girl arose. ²⁶ And the report of this went through all that district.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men

^27 (DU)And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, ^(DV)Son of David.” ²⁸ When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” ^29 (DW)Then he touched their eyes, saying, ^(DX)“According to your faith let it be done to you.” ³⁰ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, ^(DY)“See that no one knows about it.” ^31 (DZ)But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

Jesus Heals a Man Unable to Speak

³² As they were going away, behold, a ^(EA)demon-oppressed man who was mute ^(EB)was brought to him. ³³ And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds ^(EC)marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” ³⁴ But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

The Harvest Is Plentiful, the Laborers Few

^35 (ED)And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. ^36 (EE)When he saw the crowds, ^(EF)he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, ^(EG)like sheep without a shepherd. ^37 (EH)Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ^(EI)pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to ^(EJ)send out laborers into his harvest.”