⁸ “Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may ^(A)be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, ⁹ and ^(B)that you may prolong your days in the land ^(C)which the Lord ^[a]swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, ^(D)‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ¹⁰ For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; ^11 (E)but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven, ¹² a land for which the Lord your God cares; ^(F)the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.

¹³ ‘And it shall be that if you earnestly ^[b]obey My commandments which I command you today, to love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, ¹⁴ then ^(G)I^[c] will give you the rain for your land in its season, ^(H)the early rain and the latter rain, that you may gather in your grain, your new wine, and your oil. ^15 (I)And I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may ^(J)eat and be ^[d]filled.’ ¹⁶ Take heed to yourselves, ^(K)lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and ^(L)serve other gods and worship them, ¹⁷ lest ^(M)the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He ^(N)shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and ^(O)you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.

¹⁸ “Therefore ^(P)you shall ^[e]lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your ^(Q)soul, and ^(R)bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ^19 (S)You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ^20 (T)And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ that ^(U)your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like ^(V)the days of the heavens above the earth.

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples^(A)

5 So ^(B)it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to ^(C)hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, ² and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. ³ Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He ^(D)sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

⁴ When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ^(E)“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

⁵ But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught ^(F)nothing; nevertheless ^(G)at Your word I will let down the net.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ^(H)“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

⁹ For he and all who were with him were ^(I)astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. ^(J)From now on you will catch men.” ¹¹ So when they had brought their boats to land, ^(K)they ^[a]forsook all and followed Him.

Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication^(A)

²² Then Solomon stood before ^(B)the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and ^(C)spread out his hands toward heaven; ²³ and he said: “Lord God of Israel, ^(D)there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, ^(E)who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who ^(F)walk before You with all their hearts. ²⁴ You have kept what You promised Your servant David my father; You have both spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled it with Your hand, as it is this day. ²⁵ Therefore, Lord God of Israel, now keep what You promised Your servant David my father, saying, ^(G)‘You shall not fail to have a man sit before Me on the throne of Israel, only if your sons take heed to their way, that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me.’ ^26 (H)And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father.

²⁷ “But ^(I)will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the ^(J)heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! ²⁸ Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: ²⁹ that Your eyes may be open toward this ^[a]temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ^(K)‘My name shall be ^(L)there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes ^(M)toward this place. ^30 (N)And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

³¹ “When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take ^(O)an oath, and comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, ³² then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, ^(P)condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

^33 (Q)“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and ^(R)when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, ³⁴ then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their ^(S)fathers.

^35 (T)“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, ³⁶ then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may ^(U)teach them ^(V)the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance.

^37 (W)“When there is famine in the land, pestilence or blight or mildew, locusts or grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their ^[b]cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; ³⁸ whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, or by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: ³⁹ then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone ^(X)know the hearts of all the sons of men), ^40 (Y)that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers.

⁴¹ “Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name’s sake ⁴² (for they will hear of Your great name and Your ^(Z)strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, ⁴³ hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, ^(AA)that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and ^(AB)fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name.

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.