The Philistines and the Ark

5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from ^(A)Ebenezer to ^(B)Ashdod. ² Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside ^(C)Dagon. ³ And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, ^(D)Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴ But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, ^(E)and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. ⁵ This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon ^(F)do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

^6 (G)The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with ^(H)tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. ⁷ And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” ⁸ So they sent and gathered together all ^(I)the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. ⁹ But after they had brought it around, ^(J)the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that ^(K)tumors broke out on them. ¹⁰ So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” ^11 (L)They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. ^(M)The hand of God was very heavy there. ¹² The men who did not die were struck with ^(N)tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

6 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. ² And the Philistines called for the priests and ^(O)the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” ³ They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him ^(P)a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why ^(Q)his hand does not turn away from you.” ⁴ And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden ^(R)tumors and five golden mice, ^(S)according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. ⁵ So you must make images of your ^(T)tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, ^(U)and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps ^(V)he will lighten his hand from off you ^(W)and your gods and your land. ⁶ Why should you harden your hearts as ^(X)the Egyptians and ^(Y)Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, ^(Z)did they not send the people away, and they departed? ⁷ Now then, take and prepare ^(AA)a new cart and two milk cows ^(AB)on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. ⁸ And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side ^(AC)the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as ^(AD)a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way ⁹ and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to ^(AE)Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not ^(AF)his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”

¹⁰ The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. ¹¹ And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. ¹² And the cows went straight in the direction of ^(AG)Beth-shemesh along ^(AH)one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of ^(AI)Beth-shemesh. ¹³ Now the people of ^(AJ)Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴ The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. ^(AK)A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹⁵ And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon ^(AL)the great stone. And the men of ^(AM)Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. ¹⁶ And when ^(AN)the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a ^(AO)guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸ and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, ^(AP)both fortified cities and unwalled villages. ^(AQ)The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

^19 (AR)And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,^[a] and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. ²⁰ Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ^(AS)“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹ So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^(AT)Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

7 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of ^(AU)Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. ² From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of ^(B)Asaph.

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 be it 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.”