2 Samuel 7:4-17

New International Version

⁴But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

⁵“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you^(A) the one to build me a house to dwell in?^(B) ⁶I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day.^(C) I have been moving from place to place with a tent^(D) as my dwelling.^(E) ⁷Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites,^(F) did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd^(G) my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house^(H) of cedar?^(I)”’

⁸“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock,^(J) and appointed you ruler^(K) over my people Israel.^(L) ⁹I have been with you wherever you have gone,^(M) and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.^(N) Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth.^(O) ¹⁰And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant^(P) them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.^(Q) Wicked^(R) people will not oppress them anymore,^(S) as they did at the beginning ¹¹and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders^[a]^(T) over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.^(U)

“‘The Lord declares^(V) to you that the Lord himself will establish^(W) a house^(X) for you: ¹²When your days are over and you rest^(Y) with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood,^(Z) and I will establish his kingdom.^(AA) ¹³He is the one who will build a house^(AB) for my Name,^(AC) and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.^(AD) ¹⁴I will be his father, and he will be my son.^(AE) When he does wrong, I will punish him^(AF) with a rod^(AG) wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. ¹⁵But my love will never be taken away from him,^(AH) as I took it away from Saul,^(AI) whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me^[b]; your throne^(AJ) will be established^(AK) forever.^(AL)’”

¹⁷Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

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Footnotes

2 Samuel 7:11 Traditionally judges
2 Samuel 7:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts you

Psalm 89:1-4

New International Version

Psalm 89^[a]

A maskil^[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.

¹I will sing^(A) of the Lord’s great love forever;
    with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known^(B)
    through all generations.
²I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
    that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself.^(C)
³You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
    I have sworn to David my servant,
⁴‘I will establish your line forever
    and make your throne firm through all generations.’”^[c]^(D)

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Footnotes

Psalm 89:1 In Hebrew texts 89:1-52 is numbered 89:2-53.
Psalm 89:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Psalm 89:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 37, 45 and 48.

Mark 4:1-20

New International Version

The Parable of the Sower^(A)^(B)

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.^(C) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ²He taught them many things by parables,^(D) and in his teaching said: ³“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.^(E) ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”^(F)

⁹Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(G)

¹⁰When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God^(H) has been given to you. But to those on the outside^(I) everything is said in parables ¹²so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”^(J)

¹³Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴The farmer sows the word.^(K) ¹⁵Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan^(L) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth^(M) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”