Jeremiah's Letter to the Exiles

29 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to ^(A)the surviving elders of the exiles, and to ^(B)the priests, ^(C)the prophets, and ^(D)all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

⁴ “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ^5 (A)Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. ⁶ Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. ⁷ But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and ^(B)pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. ⁸ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ^(C)Do not let your prophets and ^(D)your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream,^{[a] 9} for ^(E)it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; ^(F)I did not send them, declares the Lord.

Jesus Foretells His Death a Third Time

^32 (A)And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and ^(B)Jesus was walking ahead of them. And ^(C)they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, ³³ saying, “See, ^(D)we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will ^(E)condemn him to death and ^(F)deliver him over to the Gentiles. ³⁴ And they will ^(G)mock him and ^(H)spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And ^(I)after three days he will rise.”

The Request of James and John

^35 (J)And James and John, ^(K)the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us ^(L)whatever we ask of you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, ^(M)“What do you want me to do for you?” ³⁷ And they said to him, “Grant us ^(N)to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, ^(O)in your glory.” ³⁸ Jesus said to them, ^(P)“You do not know what you are asking. Are you able ^(Q)to drink the cup that I drink, or ^(R)to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, ^(S)“The cup that I drink ^(T)you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, ^(U)you will be baptized, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, ^(V)but it is for those for whom it has been ^(W)prepared.” ⁴¹ And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. ^42 (X)And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles ^(Y)lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ⁴³ But ^(Z)it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,^{[a] 44} and whoever would be first among you must be ^(AA)slave^[b] of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man came not to be served but ^(AB)to serve, and ^(AC)to give his life as a ransom for ^(AD)many.”

²⁴ After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about ^(A)faith ^(B)in Christ Jesus. ²⁵ And as he reasoned ^(C)about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. ^(D)When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

²⁵ correcting his opponents ^(A)with gentleness. God ^(B)may perhaps grant them repentance ^(C)leading to a knowledge of the truth,

⁹ But you are ^(A)a chosen race, ^(B)a royal ^(C)priesthood, ^(D)a holy nation, ^(E)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(F)out of darkness into ^(G)his marvelous light. ^10 (H)Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

²⁸ Therefore let us be grateful for receiving ^(A)a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus ^(B)let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our ^(C)God is a consuming fire.