Jeremiah 31:1-20

New International Version

31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God^(A) of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”

²This is what the Lord says:

“The people who survive the sword
will find favor^(B) in the wilderness;
I will come to give rest^(C) to Israel.”

³The Lord appeared to us in the past,^[a] saying:

“I have loved^(D) you with an everlasting love;
    I have drawn^(E) you with unfailing kindness.
⁴I will build you up again,
    and you, Virgin^(F) Israel, will be rebuilt.^(G)
Again you will take up your timbrels^(H)
    and go out to dance^(I) with the joyful.^(J)
⁵Again you will plant^(K) vineyards
    on the hills of Samaria;^(L)
the farmers will plant them
    and enjoy their fruit.^(M)
⁶There will be a day when watchmen^(N) cry out
    on the hills of Ephraim,
‘Come, let us go up to Zion,
    to the Lord our God.’”^(O)

⁷This is what the Lord says:

“Sing^(P) with joy for Jacob;
    shout for the foremost^(Q) of the nations.
Make your praises heard, and say,
    ‘Lord, save^(R) your people,
    the remnant^(S) of Israel.’
⁸See, I will bring them from the land of the north^(T)
    and gather^(U) them from the ends of the earth.
Among them will be the blind^(V) and the lame,^(W)
    expectant mothers and women in labor;
    a great throng will return.
⁹They will come with weeping;^(X)
    they will pray as I bring them back.
I will lead^(Y) them beside streams of water^(Z)
    on a level^(AA) path where they will not stumble,
because I am Israel’s father,^(AB)
    and Ephraim is my firstborn son.

¹⁰“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations;
    proclaim it in distant coastlands:^(AC)
‘He who scattered^(AD) Israel will gather^(AE) them
    and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’^(AF)
¹¹For the Lord will deliver Jacob
    and redeem^(AG) them from the hand of those stronger^(AH) than they.
¹²They will come and shout for joy^(AI) on the heights^(AJ) of Zion;
    they will rejoice in the bounty^(AK) of the Lord—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil,^(AL)
    the young of the flocks^(AM) and herds.
They will be like a well-watered garden,^(AN)
    and they will sorrow^(AO) no more.
¹³Then young women will dance and be glad,
    young men and old as well.
I will turn their mourning^(AP) into gladness;
    I will give them comfort^(AQ) and joy^(AR) instead of sorrow.
¹⁴I will satisfy^(AS) the priests^(AT) with abundance,
    and my people will be filled with my bounty,^(AU)”
declares the Lord.

¹⁵This is what the Lord says:

“A voice is heard in Ramah,^(AV)
    mourning and great weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,^(AW)
    because they are no more.”^(AX)

¹⁶This is what the Lord says:

“Restrain your voice from weeping
    and your eyes from tears,^(AY)
for your work will be rewarded,^(AZ)”
declares the Lord.
    “They will return^(BA) from the land of the enemy.
¹⁷So there is hope^(BB) for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
    “Your children^(BC) will return to their own land.

¹⁸“I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
    ‘You disciplined^(BD) me like an unruly calf,^(BE)
    and I have been disciplined.
Restore^(BF) me, and I will return,
    because you are the Lord my God.
¹⁹After I strayed,^(BG)
    I repented;
after I came to understand,
    I beat^(BH) my breast.
I was ashamed^(BI) and humiliated
    because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’^(BJ)
²⁰Is not Ephraim my dear son,
    the child^(BK) in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
    I still remember^(BL) him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
    I have great compassion^(BM) for him,”
declares the Lord.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Jeremiah 31:3 Or Lord has appeared to us from afar

Acts 18:24-19:7

New International Version

²⁴Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos,^(A) a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.^(B) He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor^[a]^(C) and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.^(D) ²⁶He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila^(E) heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia,^(F) the brothers and sisters^(G) encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures^(H) that Jesus was the Messiah.^(I)

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos^(J) was at Corinth,^(K) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.^(L) There he found some disciples ²and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit^(M) when^[b] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴Paul said, “John’s baptism^(N) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”^(O) ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^(P) ⁶When Paul placed his hands on them,^(Q) the Holy Spirit came on them,^(R) and they spoke in tongues^[c]^(S) and prophesied. ⁷There were about twelve men in all.

Footnotes

Acts 18:25 Or with fervor in the Spirit
Acts 19:2 Or after
Acts 19:6 Or other languages

Jeremiah 31:23-40

New International Version

²³This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity,^[a]^(A) the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘The Lord bless^(B) you, you prosperous city,^(C) you sacred mountain.’^(D) ²⁴People will live^(E) together in Judah and all its towns—farmers and those who move about with their flocks.^(F) ²⁵I will refresh the weary^(G) and satisfy the faint.”^(H)

²⁶At this I awoke^(I) and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me.

²⁷“The days are coming,”^(J) declares the Lord, “when I will plant^(K) the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸Just as I watched^(L) over them to uproot^(M) and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster,^(N) so I will watch over them to build and to plant,”^(O) declares the Lord. ²⁹“In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents^(P) have eaten sour grapes,
and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’^(Q)

³⁰Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;^(R) whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

³¹“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant^(S)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³²It will not be like the covenant^(T)
    I made with their ancestors^(U)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,^(V)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband^(W) to^[b] them,^[c]”
declares the Lord.
³³“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds^(X)
    and write it on their hearts.^(Y)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.^(Z)
³⁴No longer will they teach^(AA) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know^(AB) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive^(AC) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins^(AD) no more.”

³⁵This is what the Lord says,

he who appoints^(AE) the sun
    to shine by day,
who decrees the moon and stars
    to shine by night,^(AF)
who stirs up the sea^(AG)
    so that its waves roar^(AH)—
    the Lord Almighty is his name:^(AI)
³⁶“Only if these decrees^(AJ) vanish from my sight,”
    declares the Lord,
“will Israel^(AK) ever cease
    being a nation before me.”

³⁷This is what the Lord says:

“Only if the heavens above can be measured^(AL)
and the foundations of the earth below be searched out
will I reject^(AM) all the descendants of Israel
because of all they have done,”
declares the Lord.

³⁸“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when this city will be rebuilt^(AN) for me from the Tower of Hananel^(AO) to the Corner Gate.^(AP) ³⁹The measuring line^(AQ) will stretch from there straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to Goah. ⁴⁰The whole valley^(AR) where dead bodies^(AS) and ashes are thrown, and all the terraces out to the Kidron Valley^(AT) on the east as far as the corner of the Horse Gate,^(AU) will be holy^(AV) to the Lord. The city will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Jeremiah 31:23 Or I restore their fortunes
Jeremiah 31:32 Hebrew; Septuagint and Syriac / and I turned away from
Jeremiah 31:32 Or was their master

Acts 19:8-20

New International Version

⁸Paul entered the synagogue^(A) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.^(B) ⁹But some of them^(C) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.^(D) So Paul left them. He took the disciples^(E) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This went on for two years,^(F) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia^(G) heard the word of the Lord.^(H)

¹¹God did extraordinary miracles^(I) through Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured^(J) and the evil spirits left them.

¹³Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits^(K) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus^(L) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

¹⁷When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,^(M) they were all seized with fear,^(N) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.^[a] ²⁰In this way the word of the Lord^(O) spread widely and grew in power.^(P)