The Day of the Lord

(A)Blow a trumpet in (B)Zion;
    sound an alarm on (C)my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
    for (D)the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
(E)a day of darkness and gloom,
    (F)a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains
    (G)a great and powerful people;
(H)their like has never been before,
    nor will be again after them
    through the years of all generations.

(I)Fire devours before them,
    and behind them a flame burns.
The land is like (J)the garden of Eden before them,
    but (K)behind them a desolate wilderness,
    and nothing escapes them.

(L)Their appearance is like the appearance of horses,
    and like war horses they run.
(M)As with the rumbling of chariots,
    they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of (N)a flame of fire
    devouring the stubble,
(O)like a powerful army
    drawn up for battle.

Before them peoples are in anguish;
    (P)all faces grow pale.
Like warriors they charge;
    like soldiers they scale the wall.
They march each on his way;
    they do not swerve from their paths.
They do not jostle one another;
    (Q)each marches in his path;
they burst through the weapons
    and are not halted.
(R)They leap upon the city,
    they run upon the walls,
(S)they climb up into the houses,
    (T)they enter through the windows (U)like a thief.

10 (V)The earth quakes before them;
    the heavens tremble.
(W)The sun and the moon are darkened,
    and the stars withdraw their shining.
11 (X)The Lord utters his voice
    before (Y)his army,
for his camp is exceedingly great;
    (Z)he who executes his word is powerful.
(AA)For the day of the Lord is (AB)great and very awesome;
    (AC)who can endure it?

Return to the Lord

12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord,
    (AD)“return to me with all your heart,
(AE)with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13     and (AF)rend your hearts and not (AG)your garments.”
Return to the Lord your God,
    (AH)for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;
    (AI)and he relents over disaster.
14 (AJ)Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
    and (AK)leave a blessing behind him,
(AL)a grain offering and a drink offering
    for the Lord your God?

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An Army of Locusts

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)
    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.

Before 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.
They have the appearance of horses;(O)
    they gallop along like cavalry.
With 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.

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

10 Before them the earth shakes,(Y)
    the heavens tremble,(Z)
the sun and moon are darkened,(AA)
    and the stars no longer shine.(AB)
11 The 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.”

13 Rend 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)
14 Who 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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27 (A)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when (B)I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with (C)the seed of man and the seed of beast. 28 And it shall come to pass that (D)as I have watched over them (E)to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, (F)so I will watch over them (G)to build and to plant, declares the Lord. 29 In those days they shall no longer say:

(H)“‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children's teeth are set on edge.’

30 (I)But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.

The New Covenant

31 (J)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make (K)a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when (L)I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, (M)though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 (N)For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: (O)I will put my law within them, and I will write it (P)on their hearts. (Q)And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ (R)for they shall all know me, (S)from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For (T)I will forgive their iniquity, and (U)I will remember their sin no more.”

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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. 28 Just 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)

30 Instead, 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.
32 It 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)
34 No 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

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

Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another

14 As for (A)the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. (B)One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and (C)let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. (D)Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master[a] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

(E)One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. (F)Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since (G)he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For (H)none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, (I)whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ (J)died and lived again, that he might be Lord both (K)of the dead and of the living.

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For (L)we will all stand before (M)the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

(N)“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
    and every tongue shall confess[b] to God.”

12 So then (O)each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

13 (P)Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide (Q)never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus (R)that nothing is unclean in itself, (S)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, (T)you are no longer walking in love. (U)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 (V)So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 (W)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but (X)of righteousness and (Y)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is (Z)acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us (AA)pursue what makes for peace and for (AB)mutual upbuilding.

20 (AC)Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. (AD)Everything is indeed clean, but (AE)it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 (AF)It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.[c] 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. (AG)Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.[d]

The Example of Christ

15 (AH)We who are strong (AI)have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (AJ)Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For (AK)Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, (AL)“The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Footnotes

  1. Romans 14:4 Or lord
  2. Romans 14:11 Or shall give praise
  3. Romans 14:21 Some manuscripts add or be hindered or be weakened
  4. Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts insert here 16:25–27

The Weak and the Strong

14 Accept the one whose faith is weak,(A) without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.(B) The 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. Who 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.

One 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. Whoever 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. For none of us lives for ourselves alone,(H) and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If 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) For 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)

10 You, 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) 11 It is written:

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

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

13 Therefore 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) 14 I 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) 15 If 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) 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.(W) 17 For 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) 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.(AA)

19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace(AB) and to mutual edification.(AC) 20 Do 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) 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.(AG)

22 So 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. 23 But 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. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good,(AK) to build them up.(AL) For 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

  1. 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.
  2. Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23
  3. Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts place 16:25-27 here; others after 15:33.
  4. Romans 15:3 Psalm 69:9

39 He also told them a parable: (A)“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 (B)A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is (C)fully trained will be like his teacher. 41 (D)Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but (E)do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

43 “For (F)no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for (G)each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 (H)The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces (I)evil, (J)for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build Your House on the Rock

46 (K)“Why (L)do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 (M)Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.[a] 49 (N)But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and (O)the ruin of that house was great.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 6:48 Some manuscripts founded upon the rock

39 He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit?(A) 40 The 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? 42 How 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. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit.(D) People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A 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) 47 As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice,(I) I will show you what they are like. 48 They 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. 49 But 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.”

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