Tola and Jair

10 After Abimelech there arose to ^(A)save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in ^(B)the hill country of Ephraim. ² And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

³ After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. ⁴ And he had thirty sons who ^(C)rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, ^(D)which are in the land of Gilead. ⁵ And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Further Disobedience and Oppression

^6 (E)The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ^(F)and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, ^(G)the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they ^(H)forsook the Lord and did not serve him. ⁷ So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and ^(I)he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, ⁸ and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. ⁹ And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

¹⁰ And the people of Israel ^(J)cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because ^(K)we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you ^(L)from the Egyptians and ^(M)from the Amorites, ^(N)from the Ammonites and ^(O)from the Philistines? ¹² The Sidonians also, and ^(P)the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I ^(Q)saved you out of their hand. ¹³ Yet you have ^(R)forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. ¹⁴ Go and cry out ^(S)to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” ¹⁵ And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” ¹⁶ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and ^(T)he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

¹⁷ Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at ^(U)Mizpah. ¹⁸ And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? ^(V)He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Paul and Barnabas at Iconium

14 Now at Iconium ^(A)they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed. ^2 (B)But the ^(C)unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against ^(D)the brothers.^{[a] 3} So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for ^(E)the Lord, who bore witness to ^(F)the word of his grace, ^(G)granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. ⁴ But the people of the city ^(H)were divided; ^(I)some sided with the Jews and some with the apostles. ⁵ When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, ^(J)to mistreat them and ^(K)to stone them, ⁶ they learned of it and ^(L)fled to ^(M)Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, ⁷ and there they continued to preach the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas at Lystra

⁸ Now at Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet. He was ^(N)crippled from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul speaking. And Paul, looking intently at him and ^(O)seeing that he had faith to be made well,^{[b] 10} said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he ^(P)sprang up and began walking. ¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycaonian, ^(Q)“The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” ¹² Barnabas they called ^(R)Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of ^(S)Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and ^(T)wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they ^(U)tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ¹⁵ “Men, ^(V)why are you doing these things? We also are men, ^(W)of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that ^(X)you should turn from these ^(Y)vain things to ^(Z)a living God, ^(AA)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ¹⁶ In past generations he ^(AB)allowed all the nations ^(AC)to walk in their own ways. ¹⁷ Yet ^(AD)he did not leave himself without witness, for he ^(AE)did good by ^(AF)giving you rains from heaven and ^(AG)fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with ^(AH)food and ^(AI)gladness.” ¹⁸ Even with these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Paul Stoned at Lystra

^19 (AJ)But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, ^(AK)they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. ²⁰ But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. ²¹ When they had preached the gospel to that city and had ^(AL)made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, ^22 (AM)strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them ^(AN)to continue in ^(AO)the faith, and saying that ^(AP)through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. ²³ And when they had ^(AQ)appointed ^(AR)elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting ^(AS)they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria

²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, ²⁶ and from there they sailed to Antioch, ^(AT)where they had been ^(AU)commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they arrived and gathered the church together, ^(AV)they declared all that God had done with them, and ^(AW)how he had ^(AX)opened ^(AY)a door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they remained no little time with the disciples.

The Righteous Branch

23 ^(A)“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. ² Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning ^(B)the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. ^(C)Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. ^3 (D)Then I will gather the remnant of my flock ^(E)out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, ^(F)and they shall be fruitful and multiply. ^4 (G)I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord.

^5 (H)“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous ^(I)Branch, and ^(J)he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ⁶ In his days Judah will be saved, and ^(K)Israel will ^(L)dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ^(M)‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

^7 (N)“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ ⁸ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he^[a] had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

Lying Prophets

⁹ Concerning the prophets:

¹⁶ Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, ^(AL)filling you with vain hopes. ^(AM)They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. ¹⁷ They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ^(AN)‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who ^(AO)stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ^(AP)‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

^23 (BA)“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? ^24 (BB)Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. ^(BC)Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord. ²⁵ I have heard what the prophets have said ^(BD)who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ^(BE)‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ ²⁶ How long shall there be lies in the heart of ^(BF)the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, ²⁷ who think to make my people forget my name ^(BG)by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their ^(BH)fathers forgot my name for Baal? ^28 (BI)Let the prophet who has a dream ^(BJ)tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. ^(BK)What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. ^29 (BL)Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and ^(BM)like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? ^30 (BN)Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who steal my words from one another. ³¹ Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the Lord, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the Lord.’ ³² Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the Lord, and who tell them and ^(BO)lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when ^(BP)I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the Lord.

^33 (BQ)“When one of this people, or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the burden of the Lord?’ you shall say to them, ‘You are the burden,^[b] and ^(BR)I will cast you off, declares the Lord.’ ³⁴ And as for the prophet, priest, or one of the people who says, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ ^(BS)I will punish that man and his household. ³⁵ Thus shall you say, every one to his neighbor and every one to his brother, ‘What has the Lord answered?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁶ But ‘the burden of the Lord’ you shall mention no more, for the burden is every man's own word, and ^(BT)you pervert the words of ^(BU)the living God, the Lord of hosts, our God. ³⁷ Thus you shall say to the prophet, ‘What has the Lord answered you?’ or ‘What has the Lord spoken?’ ³⁸ But if you say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’ thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have said these words, “The burden of the Lord,” when I sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The burden of the Lord,’” ³⁹ therefore, behold, I will surely lift you up^[c] and ^(BV)cast you away from my presence, you and the city that I gave to you and your fathers. ^40 (BW)And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and ^(BX)perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.’”

9 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^(A)taste death ^(B)until they see the kingdom of God after it has come ^(C)with power.”

The Transfiguration

^2 (D)And after six days Jesus took with him ^(E)Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was ^(F)transfigured before them, ³ and ^(G)his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one^[a] on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, ^(H)“Rabbi,^[b] it is good that we are here. Let us make three ^(I)tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For ^(J)he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And ^(K)a cloud overshadowed them, and ^(L)a voice came out of the cloud, ^(M)“This is my beloved Son;^{[c] (N)}listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

^9 (O)And as they were coming down the mountain, ^(P)he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, ^(Q)until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ^10 (R)So they kept the matter to themselves, ^(S)questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. ¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say ^(T)that first Elijah must come?” ¹² And he said to them, “Elijah does come first ^(U)to restore all things. And ^(V)how is it written of the Son of Man that he should ^(W)suffer many things and ^(X)be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and ^(Y)they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Unclean Spirit

^14 (Z)And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, ^(AA)were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. ¹⁶ And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷ And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has ^(AB)a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸ And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and ^(AC)they were not able.” ¹⁹ And he answered them, “O ^(AD)faithless generation, ^(AE)how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it ^(AF)convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But ^(AG)if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³ And Jesus said to him, ^(AH)“‘If you can’! ^(AI)All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out^[d] and said, “I believe; ^(AJ)help my unbelief!” ²⁵ And when Jesus saw that ^(AK)a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ^(AL)“You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ And after crying out and ^(AM)convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus ^(AN)took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸ And when he had ^(AO)entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”^[e]

Jesus Again Foretells Death, Resurrection

^30 (AP)They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, ³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, ^(AQ)after three days he will rise.” ^32 (AR)But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Who Is the Greatest?

³³ And ^(AS)they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house ^(AT)he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the way ^(AU)they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, ^(AV)“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and ^(AW)taking him in his arms, he said to them, ^37 (AX)“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and ^(AY)whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

^38 (AZ)John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone ^(BA)casting out demons in your name,^[f] and ^(BB)we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ^40 (BC)For the one who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly, I say to you, ^(BD)whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

^42 (BE)“Whoever causes one of ^(BF)these little ones who believe in me to sin,^{[g] (BG)}it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ^43 (BH)And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to ^(BI)hell,^[h] to ^(BJ)the unquenchable fire.^{[i] 45 (BK)}And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into ^(BL)hell. ^47 (BM)And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into ^(BN)hell, ⁴⁸ ‘where ^(BO)their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire.^{[j] 50 (BP)}Salt is good, ^(BQ)but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? ^(BR)Have salt in yourselves, and ^(BS)be at peace with one another.”