¹⁷ ‘And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord God: ^(A)“Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats. ¹⁸ Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the ^[a]residue of your pasture—and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? ¹⁹ And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.”

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: ^(B)“Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, ²² therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³ I will establish one ^(C)shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—^(D)My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And ^(E)I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David ^(F)a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

^25 (G)“I will make a covenant of peace with them, and ^(H)cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they ^(I)will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. ²⁶ I will make them and the places all around ^(J)My hill ^(K)a blessing; and I will ^(L)cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be ^(M)showers of blessing. ²⁷ Then ^(N)the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have ^(O)broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who ^(P)enslaved them. ²⁸ And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but ^(Q)they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. ²⁹ I will raise up for them a ^(R)garden^[b] of renown, and they shall ^(S)no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, ^(T)nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. ³⁰ Thus they shall know that ^(U)I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are ^(V)My people,” says the Lord God.’

³¹ “You are My ^(W)flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God.

The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

¹³ But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen ^[a]asleep, lest you sorrow ^(A)as others ^(B)who have no hope. ¹⁴ For ^(C)if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him ^(D)those who ^[b]sleep in Jesus.

¹⁵ For this we say to you ^(E)by the word of the Lord, that ^(F)we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are ^[c]asleep. ¹⁶ For ^(G)the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with ^(H)the trumpet of God. ^(I)And the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17 (J)Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them ^(K)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus ^(L)we shall always be with the Lord. ^18 (M)Therefore comfort one another with these words.

The Day of the Lord

5 But concerning ^(N)the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ² For you yourselves know perfectly that ^(O)the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³ For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then ^(P)sudden destruction comes upon them, ^(Q)as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ^4 (R)But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵ You are all ^(S)sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ^6 (T)Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but ^(U)let us watch and be ^[d]sober. ⁷ For ^(V)those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk ^(W)are drunk at night. ⁸ But let us who are of the day be sober, ^(X)putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For ^(Y)God did not appoint us to wrath, ^(Z)but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ^10 (AA)who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

¹¹ Therefore ^[e]comfort each other and ^[f]edify one another, just as you also are doing.

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, ^(A)but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am ^(B)hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For ^(C)I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ^25 (D)Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you ^(E)from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a ^(F)new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My ^(G)Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ^28 (H)Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; ^(I)you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will ^(J)deliver you from all your uncleannesses. ^(K)I will call for the grain and multiply it, and ^(L)bring no famine upon you. ^30 (M)And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then ^(N)you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you ^(O)will ^[a]loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. ^32 (P)Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

³³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, ^(Q)and the ruins shall be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. ³⁵ So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of ^(R)Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. ^(S)I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

³⁷ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(T)“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will ^(U)increase their men like a flock. ³⁸ Like a ^[b]flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its ^[c]feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

God’s Supreme Revelation^(A)

1 God, who ^[a]at various times and ^(B)in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the ^[b]worlds; ^3 (C)who being the brightness of His glory and the express ^(D)image of His person, and ^(E)upholding all things by the word of His power, ^(F)when He had ^[c]by Himself ^[d]purged ^[e]our sins, ^(G)sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become so much better than the angels, as ^(H)He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

The Son Exalted Above Angels

⁵ For to which of the angels did He ever say:

And again:

⁶ But when He again brings ^(K)the firstborn into the world, He says:

⁷ And of the angels He says:

⁸ But to the Son He says:

¹⁰ And:

¹³ But to which of the angels has He ever said:

^14 (U)Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will ^(V)inherit salvation?