The Death of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of ^(A)Mary and her sister Martha. ^2 (B)It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ³ Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”

⁴ When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So, when He heard that he was sick, ^(C)He stayed two more days in the place where He was. ⁷ Then after this He said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”

⁸ The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to ^(D)stone You, and are You going there again?”

⁹ Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? ^(E)If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the ^(F)light of this world. ¹⁰ But ^(G)if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” ¹¹ These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus ^(H)sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

¹² Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” ¹³ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

¹⁴ Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

¹⁶ Then ^(I)Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

The Command to Love

3 Behold ^(A)what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that ^(B)we should be called children of ^[a]God! Therefore the world does not know ^[b]us, ^(C)because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, ^(D)now we are children of God; and ^(E)it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, ^(F)we shall be like Him, for ^(G)we shall see Him as He is. ^3 (H)And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Sin and the Child of God

⁴ Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and ^(I)sin is lawlessness. ⁵ And you know ^(J)that He was manifested ^(K)to take away our sins, and ^(L)in Him there is no sin. ⁶ Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.

⁷ Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. ^8 (M)He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, ^(N)that He might destroy the works of the devil. ⁹ Whoever has been ^(O)born of God does not sin, for ^(P)His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

The Imperative of Love^(Q)

¹⁰ In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.

Job Defends Himself

Job’s Despondent Prayer

Judgment on Mount Seir

35 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against ^(A)Mount Seir and ^(B)prophesy against it, ³ and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord God:

^5 (D)“Because you have had an ^[b]ancient hatred, and have shed the blood of the children of Israel by the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, ^(E)when their iniquity came to an end, ⁶ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will prepare you for ^(F)blood, and blood shall pursue you; ^(G)since you have not hated ^[c]blood, therefore blood shall pursue you. ⁷ Thus I will make Mount Seir ^[d]most desolate, and cut off from it the ^(H)one who leaves and the one who returns. ⁸ And I will fill its mountains with the slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those who are slain by the sword shall fall. ^9 (I)I will make you ^[e]perpetually desolate, and your cities shall be uninhabited; ^(J)then you shall know that I am the Lord.

¹⁰ “Because you have said, ‘These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will ^(K)possess them,’ although ^(L)the Lord was there, ¹¹ therefore, as I live,” says the Lord God, “I will do ^(M)according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you. ^12 (N)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. I have ^(O)heard all your ^(P)blasphemies which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to consume.’ ¹³ Thus ^(Q)with your mouth you have ^[f]boasted against Me and multiplied your ^(R)words against Me; I have heard them.”

¹⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(S)“The whole earth will rejoice when I make you desolate. ^15 (T)As you rejoiced because the inheritance of the house of Israel was desolate, ^(U)so I will do to you; you shall be desolate, O Mount Seir, as well as all of Edom—all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’

Blessing on Israel

36 “And you, son of man, prophesy to the ^(V)mountains of Israel, and say, ‘O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord! ² Thus says the Lord God: “Because ^(W)the enemy has said of you, ‘Aha! ^(X)The ^[g]ancient heights ^(Y)have become our possession,’ ” ’ ³ therefore prophesy, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they made you desolate and swallowed you up on every side, so that you became the possession of the rest of the nations, ^(Z)and you are taken up by the lips of ^(AA)talkers and slandered by the people”— ⁴ therefore, O mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains, the hills, the ^[h]rivers, the valleys, the desolate wastes, and the cities that have been forsaken, which ^(AB)became plunder and ^(AC)mockery to the rest of the nations all around— ⁵ therefore thus says the Lord God: ^(AD)“Surely I have spoken in My burning jealousy against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, ^(AE)who gave My land to themselves as a possession, with wholehearted joy and ^[i]spiteful minds, in order to plunder its open country.” ’

⁶ “Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains, the hills, the rivers, and the valleys, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and My fury, because you have ^(AF)borne the shame of the nations.” ⁷ Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I have ^(AG)raised My hand in an oath that surely the nations that are around you shall ^(AH)bear their own shame. ⁸ But you, O mountains of Israel, you shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they are about to come. ⁹ For indeed I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you shall be tilled and sown. ¹⁰ I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited and ^(AI)the ruins rebuilt. ^11 (AJ)I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and ^[j]bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do ^(AK)better for you than at your beginnings. ^(AL)Then you shall know that I am the Lord. ¹² Yes, I will cause men to walk on you, My people Israel; ^(AM)they shall take possession of you, and you shall be their inheritance; no more shall you ^(AN)bereave them of children.”

¹³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Because they say to you, ^(AO)‘You devour men and bereave your nation of children,’ ¹⁴ therefore you shall devour men no more, nor bereave your nation anymore,” says the Lord God. ^15 (AP)“Nor will I let you hear the taunts of the nations anymore, nor bear the reproach of the peoples anymore, nor shall you cause your nation to stumble anymore,” says the Lord God.’ ”

The Renewal of Israel

¹⁶ Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ¹⁷ “Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, ^(AQ)they defiled it by their own ways and deeds; to Me their way was like ^(AR)the uncleanness of a woman in her customary impurity. ¹⁸ Therefore I poured out My fury on them ^(AS)for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols with which they had defiled it. ¹⁹ So I ^(AT)scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them ^(AU)according to their ways and their deeds. ²⁰ When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they ^(AV)profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ ²¹ But I had concern ^(AW)for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went.

²² “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, ^(AX)but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. ²³ And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am ^(AY)hallowed in you before their eyes. ²⁴ For ^(AZ)I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. ^25 (BA)Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you ^(BB)from all your filthiness and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a ^(BC)new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ I will put My ^(BD)Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. ^28 (BE)Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; ^(BF)you shall be My people, and I will be your God. ²⁹ I will ^(BG)deliver you from all your uncleannesses. ^(BH)I will call for the grain and multiply it, and ^(BI)bring no famine upon you. ^30 (BJ)And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations. ³¹ Then ^(BK)you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you ^(BL)will ^[k]loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations. ^32 (BM)Not for your sake do I do this,” says the Lord God, “let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel!”

³³ ‘Thus says the Lord God: “On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, ^(BN)and the ruins shall be rebuilt. ³⁴ The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. ³⁵ So they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of ^(BO)Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’ ³⁶ Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. ^(BP)I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”

³⁷ ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(BQ)“I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will ^(BR)increase their men like a flock. ³⁸ Like a ^[l]flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its ^[m]feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

The Dry Bones Live

37 The ^(BS)hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out ^(BT)in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. ² Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. ³ And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

So I answered, “O Lord God, ^(BU)You know.”

⁴ Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! ⁵ Thus says the Lord God to these bones: “Surely I will ^(BV)cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. ⁶ I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. ^(BW)Then you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.

⁹ Also He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the ^[n]breath, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(BX)“Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” ’ ” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as He commanded me, ^(BY)and ^[o]breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

¹¹ Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the ^(BZ)whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ^(CA)‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, ^(CB)O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and ^(CC)bring you into the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. ¹⁴ I ^(CD)will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’ ”

One Kingdom, One King

¹⁵ Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ¹⁶ “As for you, son of man, ^(CE)take a stick for yourself and write on it: ‘For Judah and for ^(CF)the children of Israel, his companions.’ Then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel, his companions.’ ¹⁷ Then ^(CG)join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they will become one in your hand.

¹⁸ “And when the children of your people speak to you, saying, ^(CH)‘Will you not show us what you mean by these?’— ^19 (CI)say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely I will take ^(CJ)the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will join them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’ ²⁰ And the sticks on which you write will be in your hand ^(CK)before their eyes.

²¹ “Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Surely ^(CL)I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land; ²² and ^(CM)I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and ^(CN)one king shall be king over them all; they shall no longer be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided into two kingdoms again. ^23 (CO)They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but ^(CP)I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. Then they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

^24 (CQ)“David My servant shall be king over them, and ^(CR)they shall all have one shepherd; ^(CS)they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. ^25 (CT)Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, ^(CU)forever; and ^(CV)My servant David shall be their prince forever. ²⁶ Moreover I will ^[p]make ^(CW)a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and ^(CX)multiply them, and I will set My ^(CY)sanctuary in their midst forevermore. ^27 (CZ)My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be ^(DA)their God, and they shall be My people. ^28 (DB)The nations also will know that I, the Lord, ^(DC)sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.” ’ ”