17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, Hoshea the son of Elah began to reign in Samaria over Israel for nine years. ² He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, yet not as the kings of Israel who were before him. ³ Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him, and Hoshea became his servant, and brought him tribute. ⁴ The king of Assyria found conspiracy in Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So king of Egypt, and offered no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria seized him, and bound him in prison. ⁵ Then the king of Assyria came up throughout all the land, went up to Samaria, and besieged it three years. ⁶ In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. ⁷ It was so because the children of Israel had sinned against Yahweh their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, ⁸ and walked in the statutes of the nations whom Yahweh cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they made. ⁹ The children of Israel secretly did things that were not right against Yahweh their God; and they built high places for themselves in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city; ¹⁰ and they set up for themselves pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill, and under every green tree; ¹¹ and there they burned incense in all the high places, as the nations whom Yahweh carried away before them did; and they did wicked things to provoke Yahweh to anger; ¹² and they served idols, of which Yahweh had said to them, “You shall not do this thing.” ¹³ Yet Yahweh testified to Israel, and to Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.” ¹⁴ Notwithstanding, they would not listen, but hardened their neck, like the neck of their fathers, who didn’t believe in Yahweh their God. ¹⁵ They rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified to them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom Yahweh had commanded them that they should not do like them. ¹⁶ They abandoned all the commandments of Yahweh their God, and made molten images for themselves, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served Baal. ¹⁷ They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger. ¹⁸ Therefore Yahweh was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight. There was none left but the tribe of Judah only. ¹⁹ Also Judah didn’t keep the commandments of Yahweh their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. ²⁰ Yahweh rejected all the offspring of Israel, afflicted them, and delivered them into the hands of raiders, until he had cast them out of his sight. ²¹ For he tore Israel from David’s house; and they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king; and Jeroboam drove Israel from following Yahweh, and made them sin a great sin. ²² The children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they didn’t depart from them ²³ until Yahweh removed Israel out of his sight, as he said by all his servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away out of their own land to Assyria to this day.

²⁴ The king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria, and lived in its cities. ²⁵ So it was, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they didn’t fear Yahweh. Therefore Yahweh sent lions among them, which killed some of them. ²⁶ Therefore they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations which you have carried away and placed in the cities of Samaria don’t know the law of the god of the land. Therefore he has sent lions among them, and behold, they kill them, because they don’t know the law of the god of the land.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Carry there one of the priests whom you brought from there; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the law of the god of the land.”

²⁸ So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear Yahweh. ²⁹ However every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities in which they lived. ³⁰ The men of Babylon made Succoth Benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima, ³¹ and the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. ³² So they feared Yahweh, and also made from among themselves priests of the high places for themselves, who sacrificed for them in the houses of the high places. ³³ They feared Yahweh, and also served their own gods, after the ways of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. ³⁴ To this day they do what they did before. They don’t fear Yahweh, and they do not follow the statutes, or the ordinances, or the law, or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel; ³⁵ with whom Yahweh had made a covenant, and commanded them, saying, “You shall not fear other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor serve them, nor sacrifice to them; ³⁶ but you shall fear Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm, and you shall bow yourselves to him, and you shall sacrifice to him. ³⁷ The statutes and the ordinances, and the law and the commandment, which he wrote for you, you shall observe to do forever more. You shall not fear other gods. ³⁸ You shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods. ³⁹ But you shall fear Yahweh your God, and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.” ⁴⁰ However they didn’t listen, but they did what they did before. ⁴¹ So these nations feared Yahweh, and also served their engraved images. Their children did likewise, and so did their children’s children. They do as their fathers did to this day.

3 Therefore when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone, ² and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the Good News of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith, ³ that no one would be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this task. ⁴ For most certainly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know. ⁵ For this cause I also, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain. ⁶ But when Timothy came just now to us from you, and brought us glad news of your faith and love, and that you have good memories of us always, longing to see us, even as we also long to see you, ⁷ for this cause, brothers, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith. ⁸ For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. ⁹ For what thanksgiving can we render again to God for you, for all the joy with which we rejoice for your sakes before our God, ¹⁰ night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. ¹² May the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another, and toward all men, even as we also do toward you, ¹³ to the end he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

4 Finally then, brothers, we beg and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, that you abound more and more. ² For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. ³ For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, ⁴ that each one of you know how to control his own body^[a] in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God, ⁶ that no one should take advantage of and wrong a brother or sister in this matter; because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as also we forewarned you and testified. ⁷ For God called us not for uncleanness, but in sanctification. ⁸ Therefore he who rejects this doesn’t reject man, but God, who has also given his Holy Spirit to you.

⁹ But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, ¹⁰ for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more; ¹¹ and that you make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, even as we instructed you; ¹² that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

¹³ But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. ¹⁵ For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, ¹⁷ then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

4 Nebuchadnezzar the king,

to all the peoples, nations, and languages, who dwell in all the earth:

Peace be multiplied to you.

² It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has worked toward me.

⁴ I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. ⁵ I saw a dream which made me afraid; and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. ⁶ Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. ⁷ Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers came in; and I told the dream before them; but they didn’t make known to me its interpretation. ⁸ But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. I told the dream before him, saying,

⁹ “Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you, and no secret troubles you, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation. ¹⁰ These were the visions of my head on my bed: I saw, and behold, a tree in the middle of the earth; and its height was great. ¹¹ The tree grew, and was strong, and its height reached to the sky, and its sight to the end of all the earth. ¹² Its leaves were beautiful, and it had much fruit, and in it was food for all. The animals of the field had shade under it, and the birds of the sky lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

¹³ “I saw in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from the sky. ¹⁴ He cried aloud, and said this, ‘Cut down the tree, and cut off its branches! Shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit! Let the animals get away from under it, and the fowls from its branches. ¹⁵ Nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of the sky. Let his portion be with the animals in the grass of the earth. ¹⁶ Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let an animal’s heart be given to him. Then let seven times pass over him.

¹⁷ “‘The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones; to the intent that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will, and sets up over it the lowest of men.’

¹⁸ “This dream I, king Nebuchadnezzar, have seen; and you, Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation; but you are able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

¹⁹ Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken mute for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream, or the interpretation, trouble you.”

Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its interpretation to your adversaries. ²⁰ The tree that you saw, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached to the sky, and its sight to all the earth; ²¹ whose leaves were beautiful, and its fruit plentiful, and in it was food for all; under which the animals of the field lived, and on whose branches the birds of the sky had their habitation: ²² it is you, O king, that have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown, and reaches to the sky, and your dominion to the end of the earth.

²³ “Whereas the king saw a watcher and a holy one coming down from the sky, and saying, ‘Cut down the tree, and destroy it; nevertheless leave the stump of its roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and bronze, in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of the sky. Let his portion be with the animals of the field, until seven times pass over him.’

²⁴ “This is the interpretation, O king, and it is the decree of the Most High, which has come on my lord the king: ²⁵ that you shall be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to eat grass as oxen, and shall be wet with the dew of the sky, and seven times shall pass over you; until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will. ²⁶ Whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; your kingdom shall be sure to you, after that you will have known that the heavens do rule. ²⁷ Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and break off your sins by righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your tranquility.”

²⁸ All this came on the king Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon. ³⁰ The king spoke and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?”

³¹ While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from the sky, saying, “O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: ‘The kingdom has departed from you. ³² You shall be driven from men; and your dwelling shall be with the animals of the field. You shall be made to eat grass as oxen. Seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will.’”

³³ This was fulfilled the same hour on Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from men, and ate grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of the sky, until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

³⁴ At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him who lives forever;

³⁶ At the same time my understanding returned to me; and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and brightness returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent greatness was added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those who walk in pride he is able to abase.

8 Soon afterwards, he went about through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of God’s Kingdom. With him were the twelve, ² and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out; ³ and Joanna, the wife of Chuzas, Herod’s steward; Susanna; and many others; who served them^[a] from their possessions. ⁴ When a great multitude came together, and people from every city were coming to him, he spoke by a parable. ⁵ “The farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some fell along the road, and it was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. ⁶ Other seed fell on the rock, and as soon as it grew, it withered away, because it had no moisture. ⁷ Other fell amid the thorns, and the thorns grew with it, and choked it. ⁸ Other fell into the good ground, and grew, and produced one hundred times as much fruit.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

⁹ Then his disciples asked him, “What does this parable mean?”

¹⁰ He said, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of God’s Kingdom, but to the rest in parables; that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’Isaiah 6:9 ¹¹ Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹² Those along the road are those who hear, then the devil comes, and takes away the word from their heart, that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³ Those on the rock are they who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; but these have no root, who believe for a while, then fall away in time of temptation. ¹⁴ That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵ Those in the good ground, these are those who with an honest and good heart, having heard the word, hold it tightly, and produce fruit with perseverance.

¹⁶ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a container, or puts it under a bed; but puts it on a stand, that those who enter in may see the light. ¹⁷ For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed; nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸ Be careful therefore how you hear. For whoever has, to him will be given; and whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he thinks he has.”

¹⁹ His mother and brothers came to him, and they could not come near him for the crowd. ²⁰ Some people told him, “Your mother and your brothers stand outside, desiring to see you.”

²¹ But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God, and do it.”

²² Now on one of those days, he entered into a boat, himself and his disciples, and he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. ²³ But as they sailed, he fell asleep. A wind storm came down on the lake, and they were taking on dangerous amounts of water. ²⁴ They came to him, and awoke him, saying, “Master, master, we are dying!” He awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm.See Psalm 107:29 ²⁵ He said to them, “Where is your faith?” Being afraid they marveled, saying to one another, “Who is this then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”

²⁶ Then they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and didn’t live in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!” ²⁹ For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For the unclean spirit had often seized the man. He was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bonds apart, he was driven by the demon into the desert.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered into him. ³¹ They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss. ³² Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. Then he allowed them. ³³ The demons came out of the man, and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned. ³⁴ When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

³⁵ People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶ Those who saw it told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed. ³⁷ All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. Then he entered into the boat and returned. ³⁸ But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you.” He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

⁴⁰ When Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. ⁴¹ Behold, a man named Jairus came. He was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet, and begged him to come into his house, ⁴² for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him. ⁴³ A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians and could not be healed by any ⁴⁴ came behind him, and touched the fringe^[b] of his cloak. Immediately the flow of her blood stopped. ⁴⁵ Jesus said, “Who touched me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes press and jostle you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. ⁴⁸ He said to her, “Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house came, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t trouble the Teacher.”

⁵⁰ But Jesus hearing it, answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed.”

⁵¹ When he came to the house, he didn’t allow anyone to enter in, except Peter, John, James, the father of the child, and her mother. ⁵² All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, “Don’t weep. She isn’t dead, but sleeping.”

⁵³ They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he put them all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, “Child, arise!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be given to her to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.