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Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
    and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
    besides me there is no god.(A)
Who is like me? Let them proclaim it;
    let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?[a]
    Let them tell us[b] what is yet to be.(B)
Do not fear or be afraid;
    have I not told you from of old and declared it?
    You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
    There is no other rock; I know not one.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 44.7 Cn: Heb from my placing an eternal people and things to come
  2. 44.7 Tg: Heb them

The Lord, Not Idols

“This is what the Lord says—
    Israel’s King(A) and Redeemer,(B) the Lord Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;(C)
    apart from me there is no God.(D)
Who then is like me?(E) Let him proclaim it.
    Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
    and what is yet to come—
    yes, let them foretell(F) what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
    Did I not proclaim(G) this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God(H) besides me?
    No, there is no other Rock;(I) I know not one.”

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The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field,(A) 25 but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”(B)

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The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(A) a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”(B)

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Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,(A) 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.(B) 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.(C) 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin[a] and all evildoers,(D) 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(E) 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears[b] listen!(F)

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Footnotes

  1. 13.41 Or stumbling
  2. 13.43 Other ancient authorities add to hear

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable(A) of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.(B) 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,(C) 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest(D) is the end of the age,(E) and the harvesters are angels.(F)

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man(G) will send out his angels,(H) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(I) 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun(J) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.(K)

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