The Day of the Lord

¹⁰ But ^(A)the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which ^(B)the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be ^[a]burned up. ¹¹ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be ^(C)in holy conduct and godliness, ^12 (D)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will ^(E)be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will ^(F)melt with fervent heat? ¹³ Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for ^(G)new heavens and a ^(H)new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Error and Greed

³ If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to ^(A)wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^(B)and to the ^[a]doctrine which accords with godliness, ⁴ he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, ^5 [b]useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. ^[c]From ^(C)such withdraw yourself.

⁶ Now godliness with ^(D)contentment is great gain.

Rich Oppressors Will Be Judged

5 Come now, you ^(A)rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! ² Your ^(B)riches ^[a]are corrupted, and ^(C)your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. ^(D)You have heaped up treasure in the last days. ⁴ Indeed ^(E)the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and ^(F)the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of ^[b]Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived on the earth in pleasure and ^[c]luxury; you have ^[d]fattened your hearts ^[e]as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Be Patient and Persevering

⁷ Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord ^[f]is at hand.

⁹ Do not ^[g]grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be ^[h]condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! ^10 (G)My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and ^(H)patience. ¹¹ Indeed ^(I)we count them blessed who ^(J)endure. You have heard of ^(K)the perseverance of Job and seen ^(L)the end intended by the Lord—that ^(M)the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

¹² But above all, my brethren, ^(N)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into ^[i]judgment.

Meeting Specific Needs^(O)

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him ^(P)pray. Is anyone cheerful? ^(Q)Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, ^(R)anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. ^(S)And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ^16 [j]Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. ^(T)The effective, ^[k]fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man ^(U)with a nature like ours, and ^(V)he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed ^(W)again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Bring Back the Erring One

¹⁹ Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone ^(X)turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way ^(Y)will save ^[l]a soul from death and ^(Z)cover a multitude of sins.

⁶ He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you ^(A)hypocrites, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of ^[a]hell as yourselves.

⁴ And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who ^[a]made them at the beginning ^(A)‘made them male and female,’ ⁵ and said, ^(B)‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and ^(C)the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven^(A)

^19 (B)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ^20 (C)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Love Your Enemies^(A)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ^(B)‘You shall love your neighbor ^(C)and hate your enemy.’ ^44 [a]But I say to you, ^(D)love your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^(E)do good to those who hate you, and pray ^(F)for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^(G)He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ^46 (H)For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your ^[b]brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the ^[c]tax collectors do so? ^48 (I)Therefore you shall be perfect, just ^(J)as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The Tragedy of the Wicked, and the Blessedness of Trust in God

A Psalm of ^(A)Asaph.