Joel 2:22-32

English Standard Version

²²Fear not, ^(A)you beasts of the field,
for ^(B)the pastures of the wilderness are green;
^(C)the tree bears its fruit;
the fig tree and ^(D)vine give their full yield.

²³^(E)“Be glad, O children of Zion,
    and ^(F)rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given ^(G)the early rain for your vindication;
    he has poured down for you abundant rain,
    ^(H)the early and ^(I)the latter rain, as before.

²⁴“The threshing floors shall be full of grain;
    the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
²⁵I will restore^[a] to you the years
    that ^(J)the swarming locust has eaten,
^(K)the hopper, ^(L)the destroyer, and ^(M)the cutter,
    ^(N)my great army, which I sent among you.

²⁶^(O)“You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
    and praise the name of the Lord your God,
    who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people ^(P)shall never again be put to shame.
²⁷^(Q)You shall know that I am ^(R)in the midst of Israel,
    and that ^(S)I am the Lord your God ^(T)and there is none else.
And my people ^(U)shall never again be put to shame.

The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit

²⁸^[b] ^(V)“And it shall come to pass afterward,
    that ^(W)I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
^(X)your sons and ^(Y)your daughters shall prophesy,
    your old men shall dream dreams,
    and your young men shall see visions.
²⁹^(Z)Even on the male and female servants
    in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

³⁰“And I will show ^(AA)wonders in the heavens and ^(AB)on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. ³¹^(AC)The sun shall be turned to darkness, ^(AD)and the moon to blood, ^(AE)before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. ³²And it shall come to pass that ^(AF)everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. ^(AG)For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among ^(AH)the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.

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Footnotes

Joel 2:25 Or pay back
Joel 2:28 Ch 3:1 in Hebrew

Luke 18:9-24

English Standard Version

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹He also told this parable to some ^(A)who trusted ^(B)in themselves that they were righteous, ^(C)and treated others with contempt: ¹⁰“Two men ^(D)went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee, ^(E)standing by himself, prayed^[a] ^(F)thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ¹²^(G)I fast twice a week; ^(H)I give tithes of all that I get.’ ¹³But the tax collector, ^(I)standing far off, ^(J)would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but ^(K)beat his breast, saying, ‘God, ^(L)be merciful to me, a sinner!’ ¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For ^(M)everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Let the Children Come to Me

¹⁵^(N)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they ^(O)rebuked them. ¹⁶But Jesus called them to him, saying, ^(P)“Let the children come to me, and ^(Q)do not hinder them, ^(R)for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁷^(S)Truly, I say to you, whoever does not ^(T)receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The Rich Ruler

¹⁸^(U)And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to ^(V)inherit eternal life?” ¹⁹And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ²⁰You know the commandments: ^(W)‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” ²¹And he said, ^(X)“All these I have kept from my youth.” ²²When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. ^(Y)Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have ^(Z)treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²³^(AA)But when he heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. ²⁴Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, ^(AB)“How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter ^(AC)the kingdom of God!