Deliverance Promised

Promise of Restoration

¹⁴ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁵ “Son of man, your brothers, your relatives, ^[a]your fellow exiles, and the entire house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Keep far from the Lord; this land has been given ^(A)to us as a possession.’ ¹⁶ Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Though I had removed them far away among the nations, and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a ^(B)sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ ¹⁷ Therefore say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I will ^(C)gather you from the peoples and assemble you from the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ ¹⁸ When they come there, they will ^(D)remove all its ^(E)detestable things and all its abominations from it. ¹⁹ And I will ^(F)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within ^[b]them. And I will remove the ^(G)heart of stone from their flesh and give them a ^(H)heart of flesh, ²⁰ so that they may ^(I)walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be ^(J)My people, and I shall be their God.

¹³ Therefore, ^[a](A)prepare your minds for action, ^[b](B)keep sober in spirit, set your ^(C)hope completely on the ^(D)grace to be brought to you at ^(E)the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As ^[c](F)obedient children, do not ^[d](G)be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ^(H)ignorance, ¹⁵ but ^[e](I)like the Holy One who called you, ^[f](J)be holy yourselves also ^(K)in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written: “^(L)You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ If you ^(M)address as Father the One who ^(N)impartially ^(O)judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves ^(P)in fear during the time of your ^(Q)stay on earth; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not ^[g](R)redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your ^(S)futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious ^(T)blood, as of a ^(U)lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰ For He was ^(V)foreknown before ^(W)the foundation of the world, but has ^(X)appeared ^[h]in these last times ^(Y)for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are ^(Z)believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and ^(AA)gave Him glory, so that your faith and ^(AB)hope are in God.

²² Since you have ^(AC)purified your souls ^(AD)in obedience to the truth for a ^(AE)sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from ^[i]the heart, ²³ for you have been ^(AF)born again ^(AG)not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring ^(AH)word of God. ²⁴ For,

And this is ^(AK)the word which was ^[j]preached to you.

The Anointing in Galilee

³⁶ Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him to eat with him, and He entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ^37 (A)And there was a woman in the city who was a ^[a]sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, ³⁸ and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, and began kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were ^(B)a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a ^[b]sinner!”

Parable of Two Debtors

⁴⁰ And Jesus responded and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he ^[c]replied, “Say it, Teacher.” ⁴¹ “A moneylender had two debtors: the one owed five hundred ^[d](C)denarii, and the other, fifty. ⁴² When they ^(D)were unable to repay, he canceled the debts of both. So which of them will love him more?” ⁴³ Simon answered and said, “I assume the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴ And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you ^(E)gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You ^[e](F)gave Me no kiss; but she has not stopped kissing My feet since the time I came in. ^46 (G)You did not ^[f]anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. ⁴⁷ For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” ⁴⁸ And He said to her, “^(H)Your sins have been forgiven.” ⁴⁹ And then those who were reclining at the table with Him began saying ^[g]to themselves, “^(I)Who is this man who even forgives sins?” ⁵⁰ And He said to the woman, “^(J)Your faith has saved you; ^(K)go in peace.”

Women Support Jesus

8 Soon afterward, ^[h]Jesus began going around from one city and village to another, ^(L)proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, ² and also ^(M)some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: ^(N)Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, ^(O)Herod’s ^(P)steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.