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John 2-3
English Standard Version
John 2-3
English Standard Version
The Wedding at Cana
2 On (A)the third day there was a wedding at (B)Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with (C)his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, (D)“Woman, (E)what does this have to do with me? (F)My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now there were six stone water jars there (G)for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty (H)gallons.[a] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted (I)the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested (J)his glory. And (K)his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, with his mother and (L)his brothers[b] and his disciples, and they stayed there for a few days.
Jesus Cleanses the Temple
13 (M)The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus (N)went up to Jerusalem. 14 (O)In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. 16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make (P)my Father's house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, (Q)“Zeal for your house will consume me.”
18 So the Jews said to him, (R)“What sign do you show us for doing these things?” 19 Jesus answered them, (S)“Destroy this temple, and in three days (T)I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple,[c] and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about (U)the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, (V)his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed (W)the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
Jesus Knows What Is in Man
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name (X)when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus (Y)on his part did not entrust himself to them, because (Z)he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for (AA)he himself knew what was in man.
You Must Be Born Again
3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named (AB)Nicodemus, (AC)a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus[d] (AD)by night and said to him, (AE)“Rabbi, (AF)we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do (AG)unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is (AH)born (AI)again[e] he cannot (AJ)see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born (AK)of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 (AL)That which is born of the flesh is (AM)flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.[f] 7 (AN)Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You[g] must be born (AO)again.’ 8 (AP)The wind[h] blows (AQ)where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus said to him, (AR)“How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel (AS)and yet you do not understand these things? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, (AT)we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but (AU)you[i] do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 (AV)No one has (AW)ascended into heaven except (AX)he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.[j] 14 And (AY)as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man (AZ)be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes (BA)in him (BB)may have eternal life.[k]
For God So Loved the World
16 “For (BC)God so loved (BD)the world,[l] (BE)that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not (BF)perish but have eternal life. 17 For (BG)God did not send his Son into the world (BH)to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 (BI)Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (BJ)believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 (BK)And this is the judgment: (BL)the light has come into the world, and (BM)people loved the darkness rather than the light because (BN)their works were evil. 20 (BO)For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, (BP)lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever (BQ)does what is true (BR)comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and (BS)was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for (BT)John had not yet been put in prison).
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over (BU)purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, (BV)“Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, (BW)to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and (BX)all are going to him.” 27 John answered, (BY)“A person cannot receive even one thing (BZ)unless it is given him (CA)from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, (CB)‘I am not the Christ, but (CC)I have been sent before him.’ 29 (CD)The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. (CE)The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, (CF)rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 (CG)He must increase, but I must decrease.”[m]
31 (CH)He who comes from above (CI)is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and (CJ)speaks in an earthly way. (CK)He who comes from heaven (CL)is above all. 32 (CM)He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, (CN)yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony (CO)sets his seal to this, (CP)that God is true. 34 For he whom (CQ)God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit (CR)without measure. 35 (CS)The Father loves the Son and (CT)has given all things into his hand. 36 (CU)Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; (CV)whoever does not obey the Son shall not (CW)see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Footnotes
- John 2:6 Greek two or three measures (metrētas); a metrētēs was about 10 gallons or 35 liters
- John 2:12 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
- John 2:20 Or This temple was built forty-six years ago
- John 3:2 Greek him
- John 3:3 Or from above; the Greek is purposely ambiguous and can mean both again and from above; also verse 7
- John 3:6 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- John 3:7 The Greek for you is plural here
- John 3:8 The same Greek word means both wind and spirit
- John 3:11 The Greek for you is plural here; also four times in verse 12
- John 3:13 Some manuscripts add who is in heaven
- John 3:15 Some interpreters hold that the quotation ends at verse 15
- John 3:16 Or For this is how God loved the world
- John 3:30 Some interpreters hold that the quotation continues through verse 36
John 2-3
New International Version
John 2-3
New International Version
Jesus Changes Water Into Wine
2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.(A) Jesus’ mother(B) was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman,[a](C) why do you involve me?”(D) Jesus replied. “My hour(E) has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”(F)
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing,(G) each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.(H) He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs(I) through which he revealed his glory;(J) and his disciples believed in him.(K)
12 After this he went down to Capernaum(L) with his mother(M) and brothers(N) and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
Jesus Clears the Temple Courts(O)
13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover,(P) Jesus went up to Jerusalem.(Q) 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves,(R) and others sitting at tables exchanging money.(S) 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house(T) into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[c](U)
18 The Jews(V) then responded to him, “What sign(W) can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”(X)
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”(Y)
20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.(Z) 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.(AA) Then they believed the scripture(AB) and the words that Jesus had spoken.
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival,(AC) many people saw the signs(AD) he was performing and believed(AE) in his name.[d] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind,(AF) for he knew what was in each person.(AG)
Jesus Teaches Nicodemus
3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus(AH) who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.(AI) 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi,(AJ) we know(AK) that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs(AL) you are doing if God were not with him.”(AM)
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[e]”(AN)
4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.(AO) 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[f] gives birth to spirit.(AP) 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[g] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[h](AQ)
9 “How can this be?”(AR) Nicodemus asked.
10 “You are Israel’s teacher,”(AS) said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know,(AT) and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony.(AU) 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven(AV) except the one who came from heaven(AW)—the Son of Man.[i](AX) 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness,(AY) so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[j](AZ) 15 that everyone who believes(BA) may have eternal life in him.”[k](BB)
16 For God so loved(BC) the world that he gave(BD) his one and only Son,(BE) that whoever believes(BF) in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(BG) 17 For God did not send his Son into the world(BH) to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.(BI) 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned,(BJ) but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.(BK) 19 This is the verdict: Light(BL) has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.(BM) 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.(BN) 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
John Testifies Again About Jesus
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.(BO) 23 Now John(BP) also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.)(BQ) 25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing.(BR) 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi,(BS) that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified(BT) about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”
27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’(BU) 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom.(BV) The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.(BW) 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”[l]
31 The one who comes from above(BX) is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth.(BY) The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard,(BZ) but no one accepts his testimony.(CA) 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent(CB) speaks the words of God, for God[m] gives the Spirit(CC) without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.(CD) 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,(CE) but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
Footnotes
- John 2:4 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
- John 2:6 Or from about 75 to about 115 liters
- John 2:17 Psalm 69:9
- John 2:23 Or in him
- John 3:3 The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7.
- John 3:6 Or but spirit
- John 3:7 The Greek is plural.
- John 3:8 The Greek for Spirit is the same as that for wind.
- John 3:13 Some manuscripts Man, who is in heaven
- John 3:14 The Greek for lifted up also means exalted.
- John 3:15 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 21.
- John 3:30 Some interpreters end the quotation with verse 36.
- John 3:34 Greek he
Micah 1-3
English Standard Version
Micah 1-3
English Standard Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah (A)of Moresheth (B)in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw (C)concerning (D)Samaria and Jerusalem.
The Coming Destruction
2 (E)Hear, you peoples, all of you;[a]
(F)pay attention, O earth, and all that is in it,
and (G)let the Lord God be a witness against you,
(H)the Lord from his holy temple.
3 For behold, (I)the Lord is coming out of (J)his place,
and will come down and (K)tread upon the high places of the earth.
4 And (L)the mountains will melt under him,
and the valleys will split open,
like wax before the fire,
like waters poured down a steep place.
5 All this is for (M)the transgression of Jacob
and for the sins of the house of Israel.
(N)What is the transgression of Jacob?
Is it not (O)Samaria?
And what is (P)the high place of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore I will make (Q)Samaria (R)a heap in the open country,
a place for planting vineyards,
and I will pour down her stones (S)into the valley
and (T)uncover her foundations.
7 All (U)her carved images shall be beaten to pieces,
(V)all her wages shall be burned with fire,
and all her idols I will lay waste,
for from (W)the fee of a prostitute she gathered them,
and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.
8 (X)For this I will lament and wail;
I will go (Y)stripped and naked;
I will make lamentation (Z)like the jackals,
and mourning (AA)like the ostriches.
9 (AB)For her wound is incurable,
and it has come to Judah;
it has reached to the gate of my people,
to Jerusalem.
10 (AC)Tell it not in (AD)Gath;
weep not at all;
in Beth-le-aphrah
(AE)roll yourselves in the dust.
11 Pass on your way,
inhabitants of Shaphir,
(AF)in nakedness and shame;
the inhabitants of Zaanan
do not come out;
the lamentation of Beth-ezel
shall take away from you its standing place.
12 For the inhabitants of Maroth
wait anxiously for good,
because disaster has come down (AG)from the Lord
to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the steeds to the chariots,
inhabitants of (AH)Lachish;
it was the beginning of sin
to the daughter of Zion,
for in you were found
(AI)the transgressions of Israel.
14 Therefore you shall give parting gifts[b]
to (AJ)Moresheth-gath;
the houses of (AK)Achzib shall be a deceitful thing
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again bring (AL)a conqueror to you,
inhabitants of (AM)Mareshah;
the glory of Israel
shall come to (AN)Adullam.
16 (AO)Make yourselves bald and cut off your hair,
for the children of your delight;
(AP)make yourselves as bald as the eagle,
for they shall go from you into exile.
Woe to the Oppressors
2 (AQ)Woe to those who devise wickedness
and work evil (AR)on their beds!
When the morning dawns, they perform it,
because it is in the power of their hand.
2 They covet fields and (AS)seize them,
and houses, and take them away;
they oppress a man and his house,
a man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore thus says the Lord:
behold, against (AT)this family I am devising disaster,[c]
from which you cannot remove your necks,
and you (AU)shall not walk haughtily,
(AV)for it will be a time of disaster.
4 In that day (AW)they shall take up a taunt song against you
and moan bitterly,
and say, “We are utterly ruined;
(AX)he changes the portion of my people;
(AY)how he removes it from me!
(AZ)To an apostate he allots our fields.”
5 Therefore you will have none (BA)to cast the line by lot
in the assembly of the Lord.
6 (BB)“Do not preach”—thus they preach—
(BC)“one should not preach of such things;
(BD)disgrace will not overtake us.”
7 Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
(BE)Has the Lord grown impatient?[d]
Are these his deeds?
Do not my words do good
to him who walks uprightly?
8 But lately (BF)my people have risen up as an enemy;
you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly
with no thought of war.[e]
9 The women of my people you drive out
from their delightful houses;
from their young children you take away
my splendor forever.
10 (BG)Arise and go,
for this is no (BH)place to rest,
because of (BI)uncleanness that destroys
with a grievous destruction.
11 If a man should go about and (BJ)utter wind and lies,
saying, “I will preach to you (BK)of wine and strong drink,”
he would be the preacher for this people!
12 I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob;
(BL)I will gather (BM)the remnant of Israel;
I will set them together
like sheep in a fold,
(BN)like a flock in its pasture,
a noisy multitude of men.
13 (BO)He who opens the breach goes up before them;
they break through and pass the gate,
(BP)going out by it.
Their king passes on before them,
(BQ)the Lord at their head.
Rulers and Prophets Denounced
3 And I said:
(BR)Hear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
(BS)Is it not for you to know justice?—
2 you (BT)who hate the good and love the evil,
(BU)who tear the skin from off my people[f]
and their flesh from off their bones,
3 (BV)who eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces
and chop them up like meat in a pot,
like flesh in a cauldron.
4 (BW)Then they will cry to the Lord,
but he will not answer them;
(BX)he will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning (BY)the prophets
who lead my people astray,
(BZ)who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore (CA)it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
(CB)The sun shall go down on the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 (CC)the seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
(CD)they shall all cover their lips,
for (CE)there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, (CF)I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob (CG)his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 (CH)Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
(CI)who detest justice
and make crooked all that is straight,
10 (CJ)who build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 (CK)Its heads give judgment for a bribe;
(CL)its priests teach for a price;
(CM)its prophets practice divination for money;
(CN)yet they lean on the Lord and (CO)say,
“Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
(CP)No disaster shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
(CQ)Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem (CR)shall become a heap of ruins,
and (CS)the mountain of the house (CT)a wooded height.
Micah 1-3
New International Version
Micah 1-3
New International Version
1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth(A) during the reigns of Jotham,(B) Ahaz(C) and Hezekiah,(D) kings of Judah(E)—the vision(F) he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear,(G) you peoples, all of you,(H)
listen, earth(I) and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness(J) against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.(K)
Judgment Against Samaria and Jerusalem
3 Look! The Lord is coming from his dwelling(L) place;
he comes down(M) and treads on the heights of the earth.(N)
4 The mountains melt(O) beneath him(P)
and the valleys split apart,(Q)
like wax before the fire,
like water rushing down a slope.
5 All this is because of Jacob’s transgression,
because of the sins of the people of Israel.
What is Jacob’s transgression?
Is it not Samaria?(R)
What is Judah’s high place?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble,
a place for planting vineyards.(S)
I will pour her stones(T) into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.(U)
7 All her idols(V) will be broken to pieces;(W)
all her temple gifts will be burned with fire;
I will destroy all her images.(X)
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes,(Y)
as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used.”
Weeping and Mourning
8 Because of this I will weep(Z) and wail;
I will go about barefoot(AA) and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9 For Samaria’s plague(AB) is incurable;(AC)
it has spread to Judah.(AD)
It has reached the very gate(AE) of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.
10 Tell it not in Gath[a];
weep not at all.
In Beth Ophrah[b]
roll in the dust.
11 Pass by naked(AF) and in shame,
you who live in Shaphir.[c]
Those who live in Zaanan[d]
will not come out.
Beth Ezel is in mourning;
it no longer protects you.
12 Those who live in Maroth[e] writhe in pain,
waiting for relief,(AG)
because disaster(AH) has come from the Lord,
even to the gate of Jerusalem.
13 You who live in Lachish,(AI)
harness fast horses to the chariot.
You are where the sin of Daughter Zion(AJ) began,
for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.
14 Therefore you will give parting gifts(AK)
to Moresheth(AL) Gath.
The town of Akzib[f](AM) will prove deceptive(AN)
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will bring a conqueror against you
who live in Mareshah.[g](AO)
The nobles of Israel
will flee to Adullam.(AP)
16 Shave(AQ) your head in mourning
for the children in whom you delight;
make yourself as bald as the vulture,
for they will go from you into exile.(AR)
Human Plans and God’s Plans
2 Woe to those who plan iniquity,
to those who plot evil(AS) on their beds!(AT)
At morning’s light they carry it out
because it is in their power to do it.
2 They covet fields(AU) and seize them,(AV)
and houses, and take them.
They defraud(AW) people of their homes,
they rob them of their inheritance.(AX)
3 Therefore, the Lord says:
“I am planning disaster(AY) against this people,
from which you cannot save yourselves.
You will no longer walk proudly,(AZ)
for it will be a time of calamity.
4 In that day people will ridicule you;
they will taunt you with this mournful song:
‘We are utterly ruined;(BA)
my people’s possession is divided up.(BB)
He takes it from me!
He assigns our fields to traitors.’”
False Prophets
6 “Do not prophesy,” their prophets say.
“Do not prophesy about these things;
disgrace(BE) will not overtake us.(BF)”
7 You descendants of Jacob, should it be said,
“Does the Lord become[h] impatient?
Does he do such things?”
“Do not my words do good(BG)
to the one whose ways are upright?(BH)
8 Lately my people have risen up
like an enemy.
You strip off the rich robe
from those who pass by without a care,
like men returning from battle.
9 You drive the women of my people
from their pleasant homes.(BI)
You take away my blessing
from their children forever.
10 Get up, go away!
For this is not your resting place,(BJ)
because it is defiled,(BK)
it is ruined, beyond all remedy.
11 If a liar and deceiver(BL) comes and says,
‘I will prophesy for you plenty of wine and beer,’(BM)
that would be just the prophet for this people!(BN)
Deliverance Promised
12 “I will surely gather all of you, Jacob;
I will surely bring together the remnant(BO) of Israel.
I will bring them together like sheep in a pen,
like a flock in its pasture;
the place will throng with people.(BP)
13 The One who breaks open the way will go up before(BQ) them;
they will break through the gate(BR) and go out.
Their King will pass through before them,
the Lord at their head.”
Leaders and Prophets Rebuked
3 Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders(BS) of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
2 you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
and the flesh from their bones;(BT)
3 who eat my people’s flesh,(BU)
strip off their skin
and break their bones in pieces;(BV)
who chop(BW) them up like meat for the pan,
like flesh for the pot?(BX)”
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but he will not answer them.(BY)
At that time he will hide his face(BZ) from them
because of the evil they have done.(CA)
5 This is what the Lord says:
“As for the prophets
who lead my people astray,(CB)
they proclaim ‘peace’(CC)
if they have something to eat,
but prepare to wage war against anyone
who refuses to feed them.
6 Therefore night will come over you, without visions,
and darkness, without divination.(CD)
The sun will set for the prophets,(CE)
and the day will go dark for them.(CF)
7 The seers will be ashamed(CG)
and the diviners disgraced.(CH)
They will all cover(CI) their faces(CJ)
because there is no answer from God.(CK)”
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
to Israel his sin.(CL)
9 Hear this, you leaders of Jacob,
you rulers of Israel,
who despise justice
and distort all that is right;(CM)
10 who build(CN) Zion with bloodshed,(CO)
and Jerusalem with wickedness.(CP)
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,(CQ)
her priests teach for a price,(CR)
and her prophets tell fortunes for money.(CS)
Yet they look(CT) for the Lord’s support and say,
“Is not the Lord among us?
No disaster will come upon us.”(CU)
12 Therefore because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble,(CV)
the temple(CW) hill a mound overgrown with thickets.(CX)
Footnotes
- Micah 1:10 Gath sounds like the Hebrew for tell.
- Micah 1:10 Beth Ophrah means house of dust.
- Micah 1:11 Shaphir means pleasant.
- Micah 1:11 Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew for come out.
- Micah 1:12 Maroth sounds like the Hebrew for bitter.
- Micah 1:14 Akzib means deception.
- Micah 1:15 Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew for conqueror.
- Micah 2:7 Or Is the Spirit of the Lord
Ecclesiastes 8
English Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 8
English Standard Version
Keep the King's Command
8 Who is like the wise?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
(A)A man's wisdom makes his face shine,
and (B)the hardness of his face is changed.
2 I say:[a] Keep the king's command, because of (C)God's oath to him.[b] 3 Be not hasty to (D)go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and (E)who may say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.[c] 6 For there is a time and a way (F)for everything, although man's trouble[d] lies heavy on him. 7 For he (G)does not know what is to be, for (H)who can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to (I)retain the spirit, (J)or power over the day of death. There is no (K)discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 (L)All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.
Those Who Fear God Will Do Well
10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of (M)the holy place and were (N)praised[e] in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity.[f] 11 Because (O)the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, (P)the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and (Q)prolongs his life, yet I know that (R)it will be well with (S)those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will (T)not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like (U)a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
Man Cannot Know God's Ways
14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people (V)to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people (W)to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man (X)has nothing better under the sun but to (Y)eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see (Z)the business that is done on earth, how neither (AA)day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that (AB)man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, (AC)he cannot find it out.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 8:2 Hebrew lacks say
- Ecclesiastes 8:2 Or because of your oath to God
- Ecclesiastes 8:5 Or and judgment
- Ecclesiastes 8:6 Or evil
- Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate; most Hebrew manuscripts forgotten
- Ecclesiastes 8:10 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also twice in verse 14 (see note on 1:2)
Ecclesiastes 8
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 8
New International Version
8 Who is like the wise?
Who knows the explanation of things?
A person’s wisdom brightens their face
and changes its hard appearance.
Obey the King
2 Obey the king’s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence.(A) Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. 4 Since a king’s word is supreme, who can say to him, “What are you doing?(B)”
5 Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(C)
though a person may be weighed down by misery.
7 Since no one knows the future,
who can tell someone else what is to come?
8 As no one has power over the wind to contain it,
so[a] no one has power over the time of their death.
As no one is discharged in time of war,
so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
9 All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own[b] hurt. 10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried(D)—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise[c] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
11 When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people’s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. 12 Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better(E) with those who fear God,(F) who are reverent before him.(G) 13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God,(H) it will not go well with them, and their days(I) will not lengthen like a shadow.
14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.(J) This too, I say, is meaningless.(K) 15 So I commend the enjoyment of life(L), because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink(M) and be glad.(N) Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.
16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom(O) and to observe the labor that is done on earth(P)—people getting no sleep day or night— 17 then I saw all that God has done.(Q) No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.(R)
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 8:8 Or over the human spirit to retain it, / and so
- Ecclesiastes 8:9 Or to their
- Ecclesiastes 8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts and are forgotten
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.