The Coming of the Kingdom^(A)

²⁰ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; ^21 (B)nor will they say, ^[a]‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, ^(C)the kingdom of God is ^[b]within you.”

²² Then He said to the disciples, ^(D)“The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ^23 (E)And they will say to you, ^[c]‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. ^24 (F)For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day. ^25 (G)But first He must suffer many things and be ^(H)rejected by this generation. ^26 (I)And as it ^(J)was in the ^(K)days of ^(L)Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: ²⁷ They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the ^(M)day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and ^(N)destroyed them all. ^28 (O)Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; ²⁹ but on ^(P)the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man ^(Q)is revealed.

³¹ “In that day, he ^(R)who is on the housetop, and his ^[d]goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. ^32 (S)Remember Lot’s wife. ^33 (T)Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. ^34 (U)I tell you, in that night there will be two ^[e]men in one bed: the one will be taken and the other will be left. ^35 (V)Two women will be grinding together: the one will be taken and the other left. ^36 [f]Two men will be in the field: the one will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷ And they answered and said to Him, ^(W)“Where, Lord?”

So He said to them, “Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

Approved and Disapproved Workers

¹⁴ Remind them of these things, ^(A)charging them before the Lord not to ^[a]strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. ^15 (B)Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. ¹⁶ But shun profane and ^[b]idle babblings, for they will ^[c]increase to more ungodliness. ¹⁷ And their message will spread like cancer. ^(C)Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, ¹⁸ who have strayed concerning the truth, ^(D)saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless ^(E)the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord ^(F)knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of ^[d]Christ depart from iniquity.”

²⁰ But in a great house there are not only ^(G)vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. ²¹ Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, ^[e]sanctified and useful for the Master, ^(H)prepared for every good work. ^22 (I)Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. ²⁴ And ^(J)a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, ^(K)able to teach, ^(L)patient, ^25 (M)in humility correcting those who are in opposition, ^(N)if God perhaps will grant them repentance, ^(O)so that they may know the truth, ²⁶ and that they may come to their senses and ^(P)escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

The House of the Righteous Shall Stand

Ezra Reads and Explains the Law

8 Now all ^(A)the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was ^(B)in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the ^(C)scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest brought ^(D)the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding ^(E)on the first day of the seventh month. ³ Then he ^(F)read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate ^[a]from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.

⁴ So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose; and beside him, at his right hand, stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Urijah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah; and at his left hand Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbadana, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵ And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people ^(G)stood up. ⁶ And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God.

Then all the people ^(H)answered, “Amen, Amen!” while ^(I)lifting up their hands. And they ^(J)bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

⁷ Also Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, ^(K)helped the people to understand the Law; and the people ^(L)stood in their place. ⁸ So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.

^9 (M)And Nehemiah, who was the ^[b]governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ^(N)“This day is holy to the Lord your God; ^(O)do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.

¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, ^(P)and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

¹¹ So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” ¹² And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to ^(Q)send portions and rejoice greatly, because they ^(R)understood the words that were declared to them.

The Feast of Tabernacles^(S)

¹³ Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. ¹⁴ And they found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in ^(T)booths^[c] during the feast of the seventh month, ¹⁵ and ^(U)that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and ^(V)in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and ^(W)bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”

¹⁶ Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the ^(X)roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the ^(Y)Water Gate ^(Z)and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made ^[d]booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very ^(AA)great gladness. ¹⁸ Also ^(AB)day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast ^(AC)seven days; and on the ^(AD)eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.