³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, ^[a]at the extreme end of the border. ³⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send word to you to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really unable to honor you?” ³⁸ So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you now! ^(A)Am I really able to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that only shall I speak.” ³⁹ And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. ⁴⁰ Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.

⁴¹ Then it came about in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to ^[b](B)the high places of Baal, and he saw from there ^[c]a ^(C)portion of the people.

The Prophecies of Balaam

23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” ² Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. ³ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.

⁴ Now God met with Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” ⁵ Then the Lord ^(D)put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.” ⁶ So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. ⁷ And he took up his discourse and said,

¹¹ Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^(L)I took you to put a curse on my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” ¹² He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak ^(M)what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

¹³ Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and put a curse on them for me from there.” ¹⁴ So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵ Then he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the Lord over there.” ¹⁶ Then the Lord met Balaam and ^(N)put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.” ¹⁷ So he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” ¹⁸ Then he took up his discourse and said,

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” ²⁶ But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘^[e](AA)Whatever the Lord speaks, I must do’?”

The Lord’s Supper

13 Now before the Feast of ^(A)the Passover, Jesus, knowing that ^(B)His hour had come that He would depart from this world ^(C)to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them ^[a]to the end. ² And during supper, ^(D)the devil having already put into the heart of ^(E)Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, ³ Jesus, ^(F)knowing that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that ^(G)He had come forth from God and was going back to God, ⁴ *got up from supper and *laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and ^(H)tied it around Himself.

Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

⁵ Then He *poured water into the basin, and began ^(I)washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself. ⁶ So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, You are washing my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not realize right now, but you will understand ^(J)later.” ⁸ Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “^(K)If I do not wash you, ^(L)you have no ^[b]place with Me.” ⁹ Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰ Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And ^(M)you are clean—but ^[c]not all of you.” ¹¹ For ^(N)He knew the one who was betraying Him; it was for this reason that He said, “Not all of you are clean.”

¹² Then, when He had washed their feet, and ^(O)taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? ¹³ You call Me ^(P)‘Teacher’ and ^(Q)‘Lord’; and ^[d]you are correct, for so I am. ¹⁴ So if I, ^(R)the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I gave you ^(S)an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. ¹⁶ Truly, truly I say to you, ^(T)a slave is not greater than his master, nor is ^(U)[e]one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are ^(V)blessed if you do them. ^18 (W)I am not speaking about all of you. I know the ones whom I have ^(X)chosen; but this is happening ^(Y)so that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘^(Z)He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.’ ¹⁹ From now on ^(AA)I am telling you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that ^(AB)I am He. ²⁰ Truly, truly I say to you, ^(AC)the one who ^[f]receives anyone I send, ^[g]receives Me; and the one who ^[h]receives Me ^[i]receives Him who sent Me.”

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

²¹ When Jesus had said these things, He ^(AD)became troubled in spirit, and ^[j]testified and said, “Truly, truly I say to you that ^(AE)one of you will ^[k]betray Me.” ²² The disciples began looking at one another, ^(AF)at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. ²³ Lying back on ^(AG)Jesus’ chest was one of His disciples, ^(AH)whom Jesus loved. ²⁴ So Simon Peter *nodded to this disciple and *said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” ²⁵ He then simply ^(AI)leaned back on Jesus’ chest and *said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” ²⁶ Jesus then *answered, “That man is the one for whom I shall dip the piece of bread and give it to him.” So when He had dipped the piece of bread, He *took and *gave it to Judas, ^(AJ)the son of Simon Iscariot. ²⁷ After ^[l]this, ^(AK)Satan then ^(AL)entered him. Therefore Jesus *said to him, “What you are doing, do it quickly.” ²⁸ Now none of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose He had said this to him. ²⁹ For some were assuming, since Judas ^(AM)kept the money box, that Jesus was saying to him, “Buy the things we need ^(AN)for the feast”; or else, that he was to ^[m](AO)give something to the poor. ³⁰ So after receiving the piece of bread, he left immediately; and ^(AP)it was night.

³¹ Therefore when he had left, Jesus *said, “Now ^[n]is ^(AQ)the Son of Man ^(AR)glorified, and ^(AS)God ^[o]is glorified in Him; ^32 [p]if God is glorified in Him, ^(AT)God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. ^33 (AU)Little children, I am still with you ^(AV)a little longer. ^(AW)You will look for Me; and just as I said to the ^[q]Jews, now I also say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ ³⁴ I am giving you a ^(AX)new commandment, ^(AY)that you love one another; ^(AZ)just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ^35 (BA)By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”

³⁶ Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “^(BB)Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but ^(BC)you will follow later.” ³⁷ Peter *said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? ^(BD)I will lay down my life for You.” ³⁸ Jesus *replied, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly I say to you, ^(BE)a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

Preach the Word

4 ^(A)I solemnly exhort you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to ^(B)judge the living and the dead, and by His ^(C)appearing and His kingdom: ² preach ^(D)the word; be ready ^[a]in season and out of season; ^(E)correct, rebuke, and ^[b]exhort, with ^[c]great ^(F)patience and instruction. ³ For ^(G)the time will come when they will not tolerate ^(H)sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, ⁴ and they ^(I)will turn their ears away from the truth and ^(J)will turn aside to myths. ⁵ But as for you, ^(K)use self-restraint in all things, ^(L)endure hardship, do the work of an ^(M)evangelist, fulfill your ^(N)ministry.

⁶ For I am already being ^(O)poured out as a drink offering, and the time of ^(P)my departure has come. ^7 (Q)I have fought the good fight, I have finished ^(R)the course, I have kept ^(S)the faith; ⁸ in the future there ^(T)is reserved for me ^(U)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on ^(V)that day; and not only to me, but also to ^(W)all who have loved His ^(X)appearing.

Personal Concerns

^9 (Y)Make every effort to come to me soon; ¹⁰ for ^(Z)Demas, having loved ^(AA)this present ^[d]world, has deserted me and gone to ^(AB)Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to ^[e](AC)Galatia, ^(AD)Titus to Dalmatia. ^11 (AE)Only ^(AF)Luke is with me. Take along ^(AG)Mark and bring him with you, ^(AH)for he is useful to me for service. ¹² But I have sent ^(AI)Tychicus to ^(AJ)Ephesus. ¹³ When you come, bring the overcoat which I left at ^(AK)Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. ^14 (AL)Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; ^(AM)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵ Be on guard against him yourself too, for he vigorously opposed our ^[f]teaching.

¹⁶ At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; ^(AN)may it not be counted against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood with me and ^(AO)strengthened me, so that through me ^(AP)the proclamation might ^[g]be ^(AQ)fully accomplished, and that all ^(AR)the Gentiles might hear; and I was ^(AS)rescued out of ^(AT)the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will ^[h](AU)bring me safely to His ^(AV)heavenly kingdom; ^(AW)to ^[i]Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹ Greet Prisca and ^(AX)Aquila, and ^(AY)the household of Onesiphorus. ^20 (AZ)Erastus remained at ^(BA)Corinth, but I left ^(BB)Trophimus sick at ^(BC)Miletus. ^21 (BD)Make every effort to come before ^(BE)winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters.

^22 (BF)The Lord be with your spirit. ^(BG)Grace be with you.