The Parable of the Persistent Widow

18 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought ^(A)always to pray and not ^(B)lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who ^(C)neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ^(D)‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And ^(E)will not God give justice to ^(F)his elect, ^(G)who cry to him day and night? ^(H)(I)Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them ^(J)speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, ^(K)will he find faith on earth?”

²⁹ For those whom he ^(A)foreknew he also ^(B)predestined ^(C)to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be ^(D)the firstborn among many brothers.

^8 (A)Anyone who does not love does not know God, because ^(B)God is love.

⁶ The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ^(A)“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and ^(B)gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast ^(C)love and faithfulness,

¹² Then he said to me, ^(A)“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you ^(B)set your heart to understand and ^(C)humbled yourself before your God, ^(D)your words have been heard, ^(E)and I have come because of your words. ^13 (F)The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me ^(G)twenty-one days, but ^(H)Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,