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.

The People Who Sealed the Covenant

10 ^{[a] (A)}“On the seals are the names of^[b] Nehemiah ^(B)the governor, ^(C)the son of Hacaliah, Zedekiah, ^2 (D)Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, ³ Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, ^4 (E)Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, ⁵ Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, ⁶ Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, ⁷ Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, ⁸ Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah; these are the priests. ⁹ And the Levites: ^(F)Jeshua the son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of ^(G)Henadad, Kadmiel; ¹⁰ and their brothers, Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, ¹¹ Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, ¹² Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, ¹³ Hodiah, Bani, Beninu. ¹⁴ The chiefs of the people: ^(H)Parosh, Pahath-moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, ¹⁵ Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, ¹⁶ Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, ¹⁷ Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, ¹⁸ Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, ¹⁹ Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, ²⁰ Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, ²¹ Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, ²² Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, ²³ Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, ²⁴ Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, ²⁵ Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, ²⁶ Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, ²⁷ Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

The Obligations of the Covenant

^28 (I)“The rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, ^(J)and all who have separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, ²⁹ join with their brothers, their nobles, ^(K)and enter into a curse and an oath ^(L)to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes. ^30 (M)We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons. ^31 (N)And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forego the crops of the ^(O)seventh year and the ^(P)exaction of every debt.

³² “We also take on ourselves the obligation to give yearly ^(Q)a third part of a shekel^[c] for the service of the house of our God: ^33 (R)for the showbread, ^(S)the regular grain offering, ^(T)the regular burnt offering, the Sabbaths, the new moons, the appointed feasts, the holy things, and the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. ^34 (U)We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have likewise cast lots ^(V)for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed, year by year, to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, ^(W)as it is written in the Law. ³⁵ We obligate ourselves ^(X)to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; ³⁶ also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, ^(Y)as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; ^37 (Z)and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, ^(AA)to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor. ³⁸ And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive the tithes. And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, to the chambers of ^(AB)the storehouse. ³⁹ For the people of Israel and the sons of Levi ^(AC)shall bring the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers, where the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who minister, and the gatekeepers and the singers. ^(AD)We will not neglect the house of our God.”

Deliver Me, O Lord

A Song of ^(A)Ascents.

My Help Comes from the Lord

A Song of ^(J)Ascents.