The Call of Abram

12 The Lord said to Abram:

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.^{(G) 5} He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, ⁶ Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem,^(H) at the oak of Moreh. (At that time the Canaanites were in the land.) ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring^[c](I) I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. ⁸ From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to the Lord there, and he called on the name of the Lord.^{(J) 9} Then Abram journeyed by stages to the Negev.

Abram in Egypt

¹⁰ There was a famine in the land,^(K) so Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a while because the famine in the land was severe. ¹¹ When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live.^{(L) 13} Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.” ¹⁴ When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s household. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife, Sarai.^{(M) 18} So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had.

John the Baptist Doubts

11 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.^{(A) 2} Now when John heard in prison what the Christ was doing, he sent a message through his disciples^{(B) 3} and asked him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” ^(C)

⁴ Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy^[a] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news,^{(D) 6} and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”^(E)

⁷ As these men were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?^{(F) 8} What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces. ⁹ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.^{(G) 10} This is the one about whom it is written:

¹¹ “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared,^[c] but the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been suffering violence,^[d] and the violent have been seizing it by force. ¹³ For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you’re willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who is to come.^{(I) 15} Let anyone who has ears^[e] listen.^(J)

An Unresponsive Generation

¹⁶ “To what should I compare this generation? It’s like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to other children:

¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’^{(K) 19} The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard,^(L) a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’^(M) Yet wisdom is vindicated^[g] by her deeds.”^[h]

²⁰ Then he proceeded to denounce the towns where most of his miracles were done, because they did not repent: ²¹ “Woe to you, Chorazin!^(N) Woe to you, Bethsaida!^(O) For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,^(P) they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes long ago. ²² But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment^(Q) than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will go down to Hades.^(R) For if the miracles that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until today. ²⁴ But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

The Son Gives Knowledge and Rest

²⁵ At that time Jesus said,^(S) “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants.^{(T) 26} Yes, Father, because this was your good pleasure.^{[i] 27} All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son desires^[j] to reveal him.^(U)

²⁸ “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.^{(V) 29} Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,^(W) because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.^{(X) 30} For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

1 The words of Nehemiah^(A) son of Hacaliah:

News from Jerusalem

During the month of Chislev^(B) in the twentieth year,^(C) when I was in the fortress city of Susa,^{(D) 2} Hanani,^(E) one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant^(F) that had survived the exile.^{(G) 3} They said to me, “The remnant in the province,^(H) who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.”^(I)

Nehemiah’s Prayer

⁴ When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying^(J) before the God of the heavens.^{(K) 5} I said,^(L)

Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him^(M) and keep his commands,^{(N) 6} let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive^(O) to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night^(P) for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins^[a] we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned.^{(Q) 7} We have acted corruptly toward you and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances you gave your servant Moses.^{(R) 8} Please remember what you commanded your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples.^{(S) 9} But if you return to me and carefully observe my commands, even though your exiles were banished to the farthest horizon,^[b] I will gather them from there and bring them to the place where I chose to have my name dwell.”^{(T) 10} They are your servants and your people. You redeemed them by your great power and strong hand.^{(U) 11} Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive^(V) to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today,^(W) and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.^[c](X)

At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.^(Y)

Gentile Salvation Defended

11 The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. ² When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,^{(A) 3} saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”^(B)

⁴ Peter began to explain to them step by step, ⁵ “I^(C) was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. ⁶ When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

⁸ “‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’

¹⁰ “Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. ¹² The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.^{(D) 13} He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ¹⁴ He will speak a message to you by which you and all your household^(E) will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.^{(F) 16} I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’^{(G) 17} If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” ^(H)

¹⁸ When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”^(I)

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹ Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,^(J) speaking the word to no one except Jews. ²⁰ But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks^[a] also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.^{(K) 21} The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.^{(L) 22} News about them reached^[b] the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel^[c] as far as Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,^{(M) 24} for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit^(N) and of faith. And large numbers of people were added^(O) to the Lord.

²⁵ Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples^(P) were first called Christians at Antioch.^(Q)

Famine Relief

²⁷ In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.^{(R) 28} One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.^[d] This took place during the reign of Claudius.^{(S) 29} Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea.^{(T) 30} They did this, sending it to the elders^(U) by means of Barnabas and Saul.