The Servant, the Light to the Gentiles

Brought Near by His Blood

¹¹ Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called ^(A)the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— ¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christ Our Peace

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one ^(B)new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might ^(C)reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby ^(D)putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For ^(E)through Him we both have access ^(F)by one Spirit to the Father.

The Crowd’s Response

⁵ And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, ^(A)devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the ^(B)multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak ^(C)Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each in our own ^[a]language in which we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and ^(D)Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and ^[b]Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

^25 (A)Then King Darius wrote:

²⁷ And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men ^(A)on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

²⁸ Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His ^(B)Angel^[a] and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! ^29 (C)Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the ^(D)God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be ^(E)cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; ^(F)because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

³⁰ Then the king ^[b]promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

²⁰ Now therefore, O Lord our God, ^(A)save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may ^(B)know that You are the Lord, You alone.”