The Land Refreshed^(H)

God Will Restore Israel

¹⁴ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁵ “Son of man, your brethren, your relatives, your countrymen, and all the house of Israel in its entirety, are those about whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Get far away from the Lord; this land has been given to us as a possession.’ ¹⁶ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Although I have cast them far off among the Gentiles, and although I have scattered them among the countries, ^(A)yet I shall be a little ^[a]sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.” ’ ¹⁷ Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(B)“I will gather you from the peoples, assemble you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” ’ ¹⁸ And they will go there, and they will take away all its ^(C)detestable things and all its abominations from there. ¹⁹ Then ^(D)I will give them one heart, and I will put ^(E)a new spirit within ^[b]them, and take ^(F)the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, ^20 (G)that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; ^(H)and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

Living Before God Our Father

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not ^(A)conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ^15 (B)but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, ^(C)“Be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ And if you call on the Father, who ^(D)without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your ^[a]stay here in fear; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with ^[b]corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but ^(E)with the precious blood of Christ, ^(F)as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ^20 (G)He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was ^[c]manifest ^(H)in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, ^(I)who raised Him from the dead and ^(J)gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The Enduring Word

²² Since you ^(K)have purified your souls in obeying the truth ^[d]through the Spirit in ^[e]sincere ^(L)love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ^23 (M)having been born again, not of ^[f]corruptible seed but ^[g]incorruptible, ^(N)through the word of God which lives and abides ^[h]forever, ²⁴ because

^(Q)Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

^36 (A)Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. ³⁷ And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸ and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ^(B)“This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹ “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred ^(C)denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” ⁴⁴ Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no ^(D)water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no ^(E)kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. ^46 (F)You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. ^47 (G)Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then He said to her, ^(H)“Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, ^(I)“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, ^(J)“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Many Women Minister to Jesus

8 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and ^[a]bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, ² and ^(K)certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and ^[b]infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, ^(L)out of whom had come seven demons, ³ and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for ^[c]Him from their ^[d]substance.