Joel 1:15-2:11
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
15 Alas for the day!
For the day of the Lord is near,
and as destruction from the Almighty[a] it comes.(A)
16 Is not the food cut off
before our eyes,
joy and gladness
from the house of our God?(B)
17 The seed shrivels under the clods;[b]
the storehouses are desolate;
the granaries are ruined
because the grain has withered.
18 How the animals groan!
The herds of cattle wander about
because there is no pasture for them;
even the flocks of sheep are perishing.(C)
19 To you, O Lord, I cry,
for fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness,
and flames have burned
all the trees of the field.(D)
20 Even the wild animals cry to you
because the watercourses are dried up,
and fire has devoured
the pastures of the wilderness.(E)
2 Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—(F)
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains,
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.(G)
3 Fire devours in front of them,
and behind them a flame burns.
Before them the land is like the garden of Eden,
but after them a desolate wilderness,
and nothing escapes them.(H)
4 They have the appearance of horses,
and like war horses they charge.(I)
5 As with the rumbling of chariots,
they leap on the tops of the mountains,
like the crackling of a flame of fire
devouring the stubble,
like a powerful army
drawn up for battle.(J)
6 Before them peoples are in anguish;
all faces grow pale.[c](K)
7 Like warriors they charge;
like soldiers they scale the wall.
Each keeps to its own course;
they do not swerve from their paths.
8 They do not jostle one another;
each keeps to its own track;
they burst through the weapons
and are not halted.
9 They leap upon the city;
they run upon the walls;
they climb up into the houses;
they enter through the windows like a thief.(L)
10 The earth quakes before them;
the heavens tremble.
The sun and the moon are darkened,
and the stars withdraw their shining.(M)
11 The Lord utters his voice
at the head of his army;
how vast is his host!
Numberless are those who obey his command.
Truly the day of the Lord is great,
terrible indeed—who can endure it?(N)
Revelation 19:1-10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Rejoicing in Heaven
19 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power to our God,(A)
2 for his judgments are true and just;
he has judged the great whore[a]
who corrupted the earth with her prostitution,
and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”(B)
3 Once more they said,
“Hallelujah!
The smoke goes up from her forever and ever.”(C)
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying,
“Amen. Hallelujah!”(D)
5 And from the throne came a voice saying,
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord[c] God
the Almighty reigns.(F)
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready;(G)
8 to her it has been granted to be clothed
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.(H)
9 And the angel said[d] to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”(I) 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus.[e] Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus[f] is the spirit of prophecy.”(J)
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Luke 14:25-35
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Cost of Discipleship
25 Now large crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.(A) 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.(B) 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.(C)
About Salt
34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?[a](D) 35 It is useful neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. If you have ears to hear, then hear!”(E)
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- 14.34 Or how can it be used for seasoning?
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.