Joel 2:1-14

New International Version

An Army of Locusts

2 Blow the trumpet^(A) in Zion;^(B)
sound the alarm on my holy hill.^(C)

Let all who live in the land tremble,
    for the day of the Lord^(D) is coming.
It is close at hand^(E)—
²    a day of darkness^(F) and gloom,^(G)
    a day of clouds^(H) and blackness.^(I)
Like dawn spreading across the mountains
    a large and mighty army^(J) comes,
such as never was in ancient times^(K)
    nor ever will be in ages to come.

³Before them fire^(L) devours,
    behind them a flame blazes.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,^(M)
    behind them, a desert waste^(N)—
    nothing escapes them.
⁴They have the appearance of horses;^(O)
    they gallop along like cavalry.
⁵With a noise like that of chariots^(P)
    they leap over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire^(Q) consuming stubble,
    like a mighty army drawn up for battle.

⁶At the sight of them, nations are in anguish;^(R)
    every face turns pale.^(S)
⁷They charge like warriors;^(T)
    they scale walls like soldiers.
They all march in line,^(U)
    not swerving^(V) from their course.
⁸They do not jostle each other;
    each marches straight ahead.
They plunge through defenses
    without breaking ranks.
⁹They rush upon the city;
    they run along the wall.
They climb into the houses;^(W)
    like thieves they enter through the windows.^(X)

¹⁰Before them the earth shakes,^(Y)
    the heavens tremble,^(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,^(AA)
    and the stars no longer shine.^(AB)
¹¹The Lord^(AC) thunders^(AD)
    at the head of his army;^(AE)
his forces are beyond number,
    and mighty is the army that obeys his command.
The day of the Lord is great;^(AF)
    it is dreadful.
    Who can endure it?^(AG)

Rend Your Heart

¹²“Even now,” declares the Lord,
“return^(AH) to me with all your heart,^(AI)
with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

¹³Rend your heart^(AJ)
    and not your garments.^(AK)
Return^(AL) to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and compassionate,^(AM)
slow to anger and abounding in love,^(AN)
    and he relents from sending calamity.^(AO)
¹⁴Who knows? He may turn^(AP) and relent^(AQ)
    and leave behind a blessing^(AR)—
grain offerings and drink offerings^(AS)
    for the Lord your God.

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Jeremiah 31:27-34

New International Version

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

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

³⁰Instead, everyone will die for their own sin;^(I) 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^(J)
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³²It will not be like the covenant^(K)
    I made with their ancestors^(L)
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,^(M)
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband^(N) to^[a] them,^[b]”
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^(O)
    and write it on their hearts.^(P)
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.^(Q)
³⁴No longer will they teach^(R) their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know^(S) me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive^(T) their wickedness
    and will remember their sins^(U) no more.”

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Footnotes

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

Romans 14:1-15:3

New International Version

The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak,^(A) without quarreling over disputable matters. ²One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.^(B) ³The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt^(C) the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge^(D) the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴Who are you to judge someone else’s servant?^(E) To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵One person considers one day more sacred than another;^(F) another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God;^(G) and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷For none of us lives for ourselves alone,^(H) and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.^(I) ⁹For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life^(J) so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.^(K)

¹⁰You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister^[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt?^(L) For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.^(M) ¹¹It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’^(N) says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”^[b]^(O)

¹²So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.^(P)

¹³Therefore let us stop passing judgment^(Q) on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.^(R) ¹⁴I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.^(S) But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.^(T) ¹⁵If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.^(U) Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.^(V) ¹⁶Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.^(W) ¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,^(X) but of righteousness, peace^(Y) and joy in the Holy Spirit,^(Z) ¹⁸because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.^(AA)

¹⁹Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace^(AB) and to mutual edification.^(AC) ²⁰Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.^(AD) All food is clean,^(AE) but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.^(AF) ²¹It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.^(AG)

²²So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn^(AH) himself by what he approves. ²³But whoever has doubts^(AI) is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^[c]

15 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak^(AJ) and not to please ourselves. ²Each of us should please our neighbors for their good,^(AK) to build them up.^(AL) ³For even Christ did not please himself^(AM) but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.”^[d]^(AN)

Footnotes

Romans 14:10 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verses 13, 15 and 21.
Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23
Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts place 16:25-27 here; others after 15:33.
Romans 15:3 Psalm 69:9

Luke 6:39-49

New International Version

³⁹He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?^(A) ⁴⁰The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.^(B)

⁴¹“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴²How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit^(C)

⁴³“No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.^(D) People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. ⁴⁵A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.^(E)

The Wise and Foolish Builders^(F)

⁴⁶“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’^(G) and do not do what I say?^(H) ⁴⁷As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice,^(I) I will show you what they are like. ⁴⁸They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ⁴⁹But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.”