The Lord Is Angry Against Israel

4 People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message. The Lord has something to say against those who live in this land: “The people in this land are not honest or loyal. They don’t really know God. ² They are always cursing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing adultery. They murder one person after another. ³ So the country is like someone crying for the dead, and all of its people are weak. Even the animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the fish in the sea are dying.^{[a] 4} No one should argue or blame another person. Priests, my argument is with you!^{[b] 5} You priests will fall in the daytime. And at night the prophet will also fall with you. I will also destroy your mother.

⁶ “My people are destroyed because they have no knowledge. You priests have refused to learn, so I will refuse to let you be priests for me. You have forgotten the law of your God, so I will forget your children. ⁷ They became proud. They sinned more and more against me, so I will change their honor to shame.

⁸ “The priests fed on the people’s sins. They wanted more and more of their sin offerings.^{[c] 9} So the priests are no different from the people. I will punish them for the things they did. I will pay them back for the wrong things they did. ¹⁰ They will eat, but they will not be satisfied. They will commit sexual sins, but they will not have babies.^[d] This is because they left the Lord and became like prostitutes.

¹¹ “Sexual sins, strong drink, and new wine ruin a person’s ability to think straight. ¹² My people are asking pieces of wood for advice. They think those sticks will answer them! They have chased after those false gods like prostitutes and have left their own God. ¹³ They make sacrifices on the tops of the mountains and burn incense on the hills under oak trees, poplar trees, and elm trees.^[e] The shade under those trees looks nice. So your daughters lie under those trees like prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit sexual sins.

¹⁴ “I cannot blame your daughters or your daughters-in-law for doing this, because your men go and have sex with the temple prostitutes^[f] and offer sacrifices with them. This is how foolish people destroy themselves.

The Shameful Sins of Israel

¹⁵ “Israel, just because you act like a prostitute doesn’t mean that Judah should feel guilty too. People, don’t go to Gilgal or Beth Aven.^[g] Don’t use the Lord’s name to make promises. Don’t say, ‘As the Lord lives …!’ ¹⁶ The Lord has given many things to Israel. He is like a shepherd who takes his sheep to a large field with plenty of grass. But Israel is stubborn like a young cow that runs away again and again.

¹⁷ “Ephraim has joined his idols, so leave him alone. ¹⁸ Ephraim has joined their drunkenness. Let them continue to be prostitutes. Let them be with their lovers.^{[h] 19} They went to those gods for safety, and they have lost their ability to think.^[i] Their altars will bring them shame.

Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil^(A)

4 Now filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan River. And then the Spirit led him into the desert. ² There the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during this time, and when it was finished, he was very hungry.

³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say,

⁵ Then the devil took Jesus and in a moment of time showed him all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ The devil said to him, “I will make you king over all these places. You will have power over them, and you will get all the glory. It has all been given to me. I can give it to anyone I want. ⁷ I will give it all to you, if you will only worship me.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “The Scriptures say,

⁹ Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place at the edge of the Temple area. He said to him, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! ¹⁰ The Scriptures say,

¹¹ It is also written,

¹² Jesus answered, “But the Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”^[a]

¹³ The devil finished tempting Jesus in every way and went away to wait until a better time.

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee^(F)

¹⁴ Jesus went back to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. Stories about him spread all over the area around Galilee. ¹⁵ He began to teach in the synagogues, and everyone praised him.

Jesus Goes to His Hometown^(G)

¹⁶ Jesus traveled to Nazareth, the town where he grew up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue as he always did. He stood up to read. ¹⁷ The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written:

²⁰ Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the helper, and sat down. As everyone in the synagogue watched him closely, ²¹ he began to speak to them. He said, “While you heard me reading these words just now, they were coming true!”

²² Everyone there said good things about Jesus. They were amazed to hear him speak such wonderful words. They said, “How is this possible? Isn’t he Joseph’s son?”

²³ Jesus said to them, “I know you will tell me the old saying: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum. Do those same things here in your own hometown!’” ²⁴ Then he said, “The truth is, a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown.

^25-26 “During the time of Elijah it did not rain in Israel for three and a half years. There was no food anywhere in the whole country. There were many widows in Israel during that time. But the fact is, Elijah was sent to none of those widows in Israel. He was sent only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon.

²⁷ “And there were many people with leprosy living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were healed; the only one was Naaman. And he was from the country of Syria, not Israel.”

²⁸ When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were very angry. ²⁹ They got up and forced Jesus to go out of town. Their town was built on a hill. They took Jesus to the edge of the hill to throw him off. ³⁰ But he walked through the middle of the crowd and went away.

Jesus Frees a Man From an Evil Spirit^(I)

³¹ Jesus went to Capernaum, a city in Galilee. On the Sabbath day he taught the people. ³² They were amazed at his teaching because he spoke with authority.

³³ In the synagogue there was a man who had an evil spirit from the devil inside him. The man shouted loudly, ³⁴ “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come here to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!” ³⁵ But Jesus warned the evil spirit to stop. He said, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” The evil spirit threw the man down on the ground in front of everyone. Then the evil spirit left the man and did not hurt him.

³⁶ The people were amazed. They said to each other, “What does this mean? With authority and power he commands evil spirits and they come out.” ³⁷ And so the news about Jesus spread to every place in the whole area.

Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law^(J)

³⁸ Jesus left the synagogue and went to Simon’s^[b] house. Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick. She had a high fever. They asked Jesus to do something to help her. ³⁹ He stood very close to her and ordered the sickness to go away. The sickness left her, and she got up and began serving them.

Jesus Heals Many Others

⁴⁰ When the sun went down, the people brought their sick friends to Jesus. They had many different kinds of sicknesses. Jesus laid his hands on each sick person and healed them all. ⁴¹ Demons came out of many people. The demons shouted, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus gave a strong command for the demons not to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

Jesus Goes to Other Towns^(K)

⁴² The next day Jesus went to a place to be alone. The people looked for him. When they found him, they tried to stop him from leaving. ⁴³ But he said to them, “I must tell the Good News about God’s kingdom to other towns too. This is why I was sent.”

⁴⁴ Then Jesus told the Good News in the synagogues in Judea.

Saul Becomes a Follower of Jesus

9 In Jerusalem Saul was still trying to scare the followers of the Lord, even saying he would kill them. He went to the high priest ² and asked him to write letters to the synagogues in the city of Damascus. Saul wanted the high priest to give him the authority to find people in Damascus who were followers of the Way. If he found any believers there, men or women, he would arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem.

³ So Saul went to Damascus. When he came near the city, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shined around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

⁵ Saul said, “Who are you, Lord?”

The voice answered, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. ⁶ Get up now and go into the city. Someone there will tell you what you must do.”

⁷ The men traveling with Saul just stood there, unable to speak. They heard the voice, but they saw no one. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but he could not see. So the men with him held his hand and led him into Damascus. ⁹ For three days, Saul could not see; he did not eat or drink.

¹⁰ There was a follower of Jesus in Damascus named Ananias. In a vision the Lord said to him, “Ananias!”

Ananias answered, “Here I am, Lord.”

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight Street. Find the house of Judas^[a] and ask for a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. He is there now, praying. ¹² He has seen a vision in which a man named Ananias came and laid his hands on him so that he could see again.”

¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man. They told me about the many bad things he did to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Now he has come here to Damascus. The leading priests have given him the power to arrest all people who trust in you.^[b]”

¹⁵ But the Lord Jesus said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen Saul for an important work. I want him to tell other nations, their rulers, and the people of Israel about me. ¹⁶ I will show him all that he must suffer for me.”

¹⁷ So Ananias left and went to the house of Judas. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus sent me. He is the one you saw on the road when you came here. He sent me so that you can see again and also be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell off Saul’s eyes. He was able to see! Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ After he ate, he began to feel strong again.

Saul Begins to Tell About Jesus

Saul stayed with the followers of Jesus in Damascus for a few days. ²⁰ Soon he began to go to the synagogues and tell people about Jesus. He told the people, “Jesus is the Son of God!”

²¹ All the people who heard Saul were amazed. They said, “This is the same man who was in Jerusalem trying to destroy the people who trust in Jesus^[c]! And that’s why he has come here—to arrest the followers of Jesus and take them back to the leading priests.”

²² But Saul became more and more powerful in proving that Jesus is the Messiah. His proofs were so strong that the Jews who lived in Damascus could not argue with him.

Saul Escapes From Some Jews

²³ After many days, some Jews made plans to kill Saul. ²⁴ They were watching the city gates day and night. They wanted to kill Saul, but he learned about their plan. ²⁵ One night some followers that Saul had taught helped him leave the city. They put him in a basket and lowered it down through a hole in the city wall.

Saul in Jerusalem

²⁶ Then Saul went to Jerusalem. He tried to join the group of followers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe that he was really a follower of Jesus. ²⁷ But Barnabas accepted Saul and took him to the apostles. He told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. Then he told them how boldly Saul had spoken for the Lord in Damascus.

²⁸ And so Saul stayed with the followers and went all around Jerusalem speaking boldly for the Lord. ²⁹ He often had arguments with the Greek-speaking Jews, who began making plans to kill him. ³⁰ When the believers learned about this, they took Saul to Caesarea, and from there they sent him to the city of Tarsus.

³¹ The church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had a time of peace. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, these groups of believers became stronger in faith and showed their respect for the Lord by the way they lived. So the church everywhere grew in numbers.

Peter in Lydda and Joppa

³² Peter was traveling through all the areas around Jerusalem, and he stopped to visit the believers^[d] who lived in Lydda. ³³ There he met a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had not been able to get out of bed for the past eight years. ³⁴ Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed!” He stood up immediately. ³⁵ All the people living in Lydda and on the plain of Sharon saw him, and they decided to follow the Lord.

³⁶ In the city of Joppa there was a follower of Jesus named Tabitha. Her Greek name, Dorcas, means “a deer.” She was always doing good things for people and giving money to those in need. ³⁷ While Peter was in Lydda, Tabitha became sick and died. They washed her body and put it in an upstairs room. ³⁸ The followers in Joppa heard that Peter was in Lydda, which was not far away. So they sent two men, who begged him, “Hurry, please come quickly!”

³⁹ Peter got ready and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upstairs room. All the widows stood around him. They were crying and showing him the coats and other clothes that Tabitha had made during her time with them. ⁴⁰ Peter sent all the people out of the room. He knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to Tabitha’s body and said, “Tabitha, stand up!” She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹ He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. Then he called the believers and the widows into the room. He showed them Tabitha; she was alive!

⁴² People everywhere in Joppa learned about this, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³ Peter stayed in Joppa for many days at the home of a man named Simon, who was a leatherworker.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 While Jesus was walking, he saw a man who had been blind since the time he was born. ² Jesus’ followers asked him, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Whose sin made it happen? Was it his own sin or that of his parents?”

³ Jesus answered, “It was not any sin of this man or his parents that caused him to be blind. He was born blind so that he could be used to show what great things God can do. ⁴ While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the one who sent me. The night is coming, and no one can work at night. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ After Jesus said this, he spit on the dirt, made some mud and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ Jesus told him, “Go and wash in Siloam pool.” (Siloam means “Sent.”) So the man went to the pool, washed and came back. He was now able to see.

⁸ His neighbors and some others who had seen him begging said, “Look! Is this the same man who always sits and begs?”

⁹ Some people said, “Yes! He is the one.” But others said, “No, he can’t be the same man. He only looks like him.”

So the man himself said, “I am that same man.”

¹⁰ They asked, “What happened? How did you get your sight?”

¹¹ He answered, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went there and washed. And then I could see.”

¹² They asked him, “Where is this man?”

He answered, “I don’t know.”

Some Pharisees Have Questions

¹³ Then the people brought the man to the Pharisees. ¹⁴ The day Jesus had made mud and healed the man’s eyes was a Sabbath day. ¹⁵ So the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?”

He answered, “He put mud on my eyes. I washed, and now I can see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “That man does not obey the law about the Sabbath day. So he is not from God.”

Others said, “But someone who is a sinner cannot do these miraculous signs.” So they could not agree with each other.

¹⁷ They asked the man again, “Since it was your eyes he healed, what do you say about him?”

He answered, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ The Jewish leaders still did not believe that this really happened to the man—that he was blind and was now healed. But later they sent for his parents. ¹⁹ They asked them, “Is this your son? You say he was born blind. So how can he see?”

²⁰ His parents answered, “We know that this man is our son. And we know that he was born blind. ²¹ But we don’t know why he can see now. We don’t know who healed his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough to answer for himself.” ²² They said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. The leaders had already decided that they would punish anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah. They would stop them from coming to the synagogue. ²³ That is why his parents said, “He is old enough. Ask him.”

²⁴ So the Jewish leaders called the man who had been blind. They told him to come in again. They said, “You should honor God by telling the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ The man answered, “I don’t know if he is a sinner. But I do know this: I was blind, and now I can see.”

²⁶ They asked, “What did he do to you? How did he heal your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have already told you that. But you would not listen to me. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to be his followers too?”

²⁸ At this they shouted insults at him and said, “You are his follower, not us! We are followers of Moses. ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses. But we don’t even know where this man comes from!”

³⁰ The man answered, “This is really strange! You don’t know where he comes from, but he healed my eyes. ³¹ We all know that God does not listen to sinners, but he will listen to anyone who worships and obeys him. ³² This is the first time we have ever heard of anyone healing the eyes of someone born blind. ³³ This man must be from God. If he were not from God, he could not do anything like this.”

³⁴ The Jewish leaders answered, “You were born full of sin! Are you trying to teach us?” And they told the man to get out of the synagogue and to stay out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ When Jesus heard that they had forced the man to leave, he found him and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ The man said, “Tell me who he is, sir, so I can believe in him.”

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “You have already seen him. The Son of Man is the one talking with you now.”

³⁸ The man answered, “Yes, I believe, Lord!” Then he bowed and worshiped Jesus.

³⁹ Jesus said, “I came into this world so that the world could be judged. I came so that people who are blind^[a] could see. And I came so that people who think they see would become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some of the Pharisees were near Jesus. They heard him say this. They asked, “What? Are you saying that we are blind too?”

⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were really blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But you say that you see, so you are still guilty.”

8 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ² Early in the morning he went back to the Temple area. The people all came to him, and he sat and taught them.

³ The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in bed with a man who was not her husband. They forced her to stand in front of the people. ⁴ They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵ The Law of Moses commands us to stone to death any such woman. What do you say we should do?”

⁶ They were saying this to trick Jesus. They wanted to catch him saying something wrong so that they could have a charge against him. But Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with his finger. ⁷ The Jewish leaders continued to ask him their question. So he stood up and said, “Anyone here who has never sinned should throw the first stone at her.” ⁸ Then Jesus stooped down again and wrote on the ground.

⁹ When they heard this, they began to leave one by one. The older men left first, and then the others. Jesus was left alone with the woman standing there in front of him. ¹⁰ He looked up again and said to her, “Where did they all go? Did no one judge you guilty?”

¹¹ She answered, “No one, sir.”

Then Jesus said, “I don’t judge you either. You can go now, but don’t sin again.”^[a]

Jesus Is the Light of the World

¹² Later, Jesus talked to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never live in darkness. They will have the light that gives life.”

¹³ But the Pharisees said to Jesus, “When you talk about yourself, you are the only one to say that these things are true. So we cannot accept what you say.”

¹⁴ Jesus answered, “Yes, I am saying these things about myself. But people can believe what I say, because I know where I came from. And I know where I am going. But you don’t know where I came from or where I am going. ¹⁵ You judge me the way people judge other people. I don’t judge anyone. ¹⁶ But if I judge, my judging is true, because when I judge I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. ¹⁷ Your own law says that when two witnesses say the same thing, you must accept what they say. ¹⁸ I am one of the witnesses who speaks about myself. And the Father who sent me is my other witness.”

¹⁹ The people asked, “Where is your father?”

Jesus answered, “You don’t know me or my Father. But if you knew me, you would know my Father too.” ²⁰ Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the Temple area, near the room where the Temple offerings were kept. But no one arrested him, because the right time for him had not yet come.

Some Jews Don’t Understand Jesus

²¹ Again, Jesus said to the people, “I will leave you. You will look for me, but you will die in your sin. You cannot come where I am going.”

²² So the Jewish leaders asked themselves, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he said, ‘You cannot come where I am going’?”

²³ But Jesus said to them, “You people are from here below, but I am from above. You belong to this world, but I don’t belong to this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins. Yes, if you don’t believe that I Am,^[b] you will die in your sins.”

²⁵ They asked, “Then who are you?”

Jesus answered, “I am what I have told you from the beginning. ²⁶ I have much more I could say to judge you. But I tell people only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he speaks the truth.”

²⁷ They did not understand who he was talking about. He was telling them about the Father. ²⁸ So he said to them, “You will lift up^[c] the Son of Man. Then you will know that I Am. You will know that whatever I do is not by my own authority. You will know that I say only what the Father has taught me. ²⁹ The one who sent me is with me. I always do what pleases him. So he has not left me alone.” ³⁰ While he was saying these things, many people believed in him.

Jesus Talks About Freedom From Sin

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who believed in him, “If you continue to accept and obey my teaching, you are really my followers. ³² You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

³³ They answered, “We are Abraham’s descendants. And we have never been slaves. So why do you say that we will be free?”

³⁴ Jesus said, “The truth is, everyone who sins is a slave—a slave to sin. ³⁵ A slave does not stay with a family forever. But a son belongs to the family forever. ³⁶ So if the Son makes you free, you are really free. ³⁷ I know you are Abraham’s descendants. But you want to kill me, because you don’t want to accept my teaching. ³⁸ I am telling you what my Father has shown me. But you do what your father has told you.”

³⁹ They said, “Our father is Abraham.”

Jesus said, “If you were really Abraham’s descendants, you would do what Abraham did. ⁴⁰ I am someone who has told you the truth I heard from God. But you are trying to kill me. Abraham did nothing like that. ⁴¹ So you are doing what your own father did.”

But they said, “We are not like children who never knew who their father was. God is our Father. He is the only Father we have.”

⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were really your Father, you would love me. I came from God, and now I am here. I did not come by my own authority. God sent me. ⁴³ You don’t understand the things I say, because you cannot accept my teaching. ⁴⁴ Your father is the devil. You belong to him. You want to do what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning. He was always against the truth. There is no truth in him. He is like the lies he tells. Yes, the devil is a liar. He is the father of lies.

⁴⁵ “I am telling you the truth, and that’s why you don’t believe me. ⁴⁶ Can any of you prove that I am guilty of sin? If I tell the truth, why don’t you believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever belongs to God accepts what he says. But you don’t accept what God says, because you don’t belong to God.”

Jesus Talks About Himself and Abraham

⁴⁸ The Jews there answered, “We say you are a Samaritan. We say a demon is making you crazy! Are we not right when we say this?”

⁴⁹ Jesus answered, “I have no demon in me. I give honor to my Father, but you give no honor to me. ⁵⁰ I am not trying to get honor for myself. There is one who wants this honor for me. He is the judge. ⁵¹ I promise you, whoever continues to obey my teaching will never die.”

⁵² The Jews said to Jesus, “Now we know that you have a demon in you! Even Abraham and the prophets died. But you say, ‘Whoever obeys my teaching will never die.’ ⁵³ Do you think you are greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”

⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I give honor to myself, that honor is worth nothing. The one who gives me honor is my Father. And you say that he is your God. ⁵⁵ But you don’t really know him. I know him. If I said I did not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey what he says. ⁵⁶ Your father Abraham was very happy that he would see the day when I came. He saw that day and was happy.”

⁵⁷ The Jews said to Jesus, “What? How can you say you have seen Abraham? You are not even 50 years old!”

⁵⁸ Jesus answered, “The fact is, before Abraham was born, I Am.” ⁵⁹ When he said this, they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus hid, and then he left the Temple area.

The Living Stone and the Holy Nation

2 So then, stop doing anything to hurt others. Don’t lie anymore, and stop trying to fool people. Don’t be jealous or say bad things about others. ² Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow up and be saved. ³ You have already tasted the goodness of the Lord.

⁴ The Lord Jesus is the living stone.^[a] The people of the world decided that they did not want this stone. But he is the one God chose as one of great value. So come to him. ⁵ You also are like living stones, and God is using you to build a spiritual house.^[b] You are to serve God in this house as holy priests, offering him spiritual sacrifices that he will accept because of Jesus Christ. ⁶ The Scriptures say,

⁷ So, that stone brings honor for you who believe. But for those who don’t believe he is

⁸ For them he is also

People stumble because they don’t obey what God says. This is what God planned to happen to those people.

⁹ But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light.

Live for God

¹¹ Dear friends, you are like visitors and strangers in this world. So I beg you to keep your lives free from the evil things you want to do, those desires that fight against your true selves. ¹² People who don’t believe are living all around you. They may say that you are doing wrong. So live such good lives that they will see the good you do, and they will give glory to God on the day he comes.

Obey Every Human Authority

¹³ Be willing to serve the people who have authority^[d] in this world. Do this for the Lord. Obey the king, the highest authority. ¹⁴ And obey the leaders who are sent by the king. They are sent to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ When you do good, you stop ignorant people from saying foolish things about you. This is what God wants. ¹⁶ Live like free people, but don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. Live as those who are serving God. ¹⁷ Show respect for all people. Love your brothers and sisters in God’s family. Respect God, and honor the king.

The Example of Christ’s Suffering

¹⁸ Slaves, be willing to serve your masters. Do this with all respect. You should obey the masters who are good and kind, and you should obey the masters who are bad. ¹⁹ One of you might have to suffer even when you have done nothing wrong. If you think of God and bear the pain, this pleases God. ²⁰ But if you are punished for doing wrong, there is no reason to praise you for bearing that punishment. But if you suffer for doing good and you are patient, this pleases God. ²¹ This is what you were chosen to do. Christ gave you an example to follow. He suffered for you. So you should do the same as he did:

²³ People insulted him, but he did not insult them back. He suffered, but he did not threaten anyone. No, he let God take care of him. God is the one who judges rightly. ²⁴ Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross. He did this so that we would stop living for sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you were healed. ²⁵ You were like sheep that went the wrong way. But now you have come back to the Shepherd and Protector of your lives.

Wise Sayings of Agur Son of Jakeh

30 These are the wise sayings of Agur son of Jakeh from Massa. He says, “God, I am tired, so tired. How can I keep going?”^[a]

² I am stupid. I am not as smart as other people are. ³ I have not learned to be wise. I know nothing about the Holy One.^{[b] 4} Who has ever gone up to heaven and come back down? Who gathered the winds in his hand? Who can gather up all the water in his lap? Who set the limits for the world? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Do you know?

⁵ You can trust this: Every word that God speaks is true. God is a safe place for those who go to him. ⁶ So don’t try to change what God says. If you do, he will punish you and prove that you are a liar.

⁷ God, I ask you to do two things for me before I die. ⁸ Don’t let me tell lies. And don’t make me too rich or too poor—give me only enough food for each day. ⁹ If I have too much, I might deny that I need you, Lord. But if I am too poor, I might steal and bring shame to the name of my God.

¹⁰ Never say bad things about a slave to his master. If you do, he will curse you, and you will suffer for it.

¹¹ Some people curse their fathers and refuse to bless their mothers.

¹² Some people think they are pure, but they have done nothing to remove the filth of their sin.

¹³ Some people are so proud of themselves, and they look down on everyone else.

¹⁴ There are people whose teeth are like swords and their jaws like knives. They take everything they can from the poor.

¹⁵ Greedy people know only two things^[c]: “Give me,” and “Give me.” There are three other things that are never satisfied—really, four things that never have enough: ¹⁶ the place of death, a woman with no children, dry ground that needs rain, and a fire that will never stop by itself.

¹⁷ People who make fun of their father or refuse to obey their mother should have their eyes plucked out by wild birds and be eaten by vultures.

¹⁸ There are three things that are hard for me to understand—really, four things that I don’t understand: ¹⁹ an eagle flying in the sky, a snake moving on a rock, a ship moving across the ocean, and a man in love with a woman.

²⁰ A woman who is not faithful to her husband acts innocent. She eats, wipes her mouth, and says she has done nothing wrong.

²¹ There are three things that make trouble on the earth—really, four that the earth cannot bear: ²² a slave who becomes a king, fools who have everything they need, ²³ a woman whose husband hated her but still married her, and a servant girl who becomes ruler over the woman she serves.

²⁴ There are four things on the earth that are small but very wise:

²⁹ There are three things that act important when they walk—really, there are four:

³² If you have been foolish enough to become proud and make plans against other people, stop and think about what you are doing.

³³ Stirring milk causes butter to form. Hitting someone’s nose causes blood to flow. And making people angry causes trouble.