The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus

11 Now a certain man was sick: Lazarus of ^(A)Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister ^(B)Martha. ² And it was the Mary who ^(C)anointed ^(D)the Lord with ^[a]ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. ³ So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “^(E)Lord, behold, ^(F)he whom You love is sick.” ⁴ But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not ^[b]meant for death, but is for ^(G)the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” ⁵ (Now Jesus loved ^(H)Martha and her sister, and Lazarus.) ⁶ So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. ⁷ Then after this He *said to the disciples, “^(I)Let’s go to Judea again.” ⁸ The disciples *said to Him, “^(J)Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking ^(K)to stone You, and yet You are going there again?” ⁹ Jesus replied, “^(L)Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. ¹⁰ But if anyone walks during the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in ^[c]him.” ¹¹ This He said, and after this He *said to them, “Our ^(M)friend Lazarus ^(N)has fallen asleep; but I am going so that I may awaken him from sleep.” ¹² The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will ^[d]come out of it.” ¹³ Now ^(O)Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about ^[e]actual sleep. ¹⁴ So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus died, ¹⁵ and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let’s go to him.” ^16 (P)Therefore Thomas, who was called ^[f](Q)Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let’s also go, so that we may die with Him!”

¹⁷ So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb ^(R)four days. ¹⁸ Now ^(S)Bethany was near Jerusalem, about ^[g]fifteen stadia away; ¹⁹ and many of ^(T)the Jews had come to ^(U)Martha and Mary, ^(V)to console them about their brother. ²⁰ So then ^(W)Martha, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but ^(X)Mary ^[h]stayed in the house. ²¹ Martha then said to Jesus, “^(Y)Lord, ^(Z)if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Even now I know that ^(AA)whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” ²³ Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise from the dead.” ²⁴ Martha *said to Him, “^(AB)I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.” ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “^(AC)I am the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me ^(AD)will never die. Do you believe this?” ²⁷ She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have come to believe that You are ^(AE)the ^[i]Christ, the Son of God, and ^[j](AF)He who comes into the world.”

²⁸ When she had said this, she ^(AG)left and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “^(AH)The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard this, she *got up quickly and came to Him.

³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but ^(AI)was still at the place where Martha met Him. ^31 (AJ)Then the Jews who were with her in the house and were ^(AK)consoling her, when they saw that Mary had gotten up quickly and left, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² So when Mary came to the place where Jesus was, she saw Him and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “^(AL)Lord, ^(AM)if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” ³³ Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and ^(AN)the Jews who came with her also weeping, He ^(AO)was deeply moved in spirit and ^[k](AP)was troubled, ³⁴ and He said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” ³⁵ Jesus ^(AQ)wept. ³⁶ So ^(AR)the Jews were saying, “See how He ^(AS)loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could this Man, who ^(AT)opened the eyes of the man who was blind, not have also ^[l]kept this man from dying?”

³⁸ So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a ^(AU)cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time ^[m]there will be a stench, for he has been dead ^(AV)four days.” ⁴⁰ Jesus *said to her, “^(AW)Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they removed the ^(AX)stone. And Jesus ^(AY)raised His eyes, and said, “^(AZ)Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² But I knew that You always hear Me; nevertheless, ^(BA)because of the ^[n]people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that ^(BB)You sent Me.” ⁴³ And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” ⁴⁴ Out came the man who had died, ^(BC)bound hand and foot with wrappings, and ^(BD)his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

^45 (BE)Therefore many of the Jews ^(BF)who came to Mary, and ^(BG)saw what He had done, believed in Him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went to the ^(BH)Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.

Conspiracy to Kill Jesus

⁴⁷ Therefore ^(BI)the chief priests and the Pharisees ^(BJ)convened a ^(BK)council meeting, and they were saying, “What are we ^[o]doing in regard to the fact that this Man is performing many ^[p](BL)signs? ⁴⁸ If we let Him go on like this, all the people will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take over both our ^[q](BM)place and our nation.” ⁴⁹ But one of them, ^(BN)Caiaphas, ^(BO)who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, ⁵⁰ nor are you taking into account that ^(BP)it is in your best interest that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish instead.” ⁵¹ Now he did not say this ^[r]on his own, but ^(BQ)as he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation; ⁵² and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also ^(BR)gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³ So from that day on they ^(BS)planned together to kill Him.

⁵⁴ Therefore Jesus ^(BT)no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, into a city called ^(BU)Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.

⁵⁵ Now ^(BV)the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem from the country prior to the Passover, ^(BW)in order to ^[s]purify themselves. ⁵⁶ So they ^(BX)were looking for Jesus, and saying to one another as they stood in the temple area, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” ⁵⁷ Now ^(BY)the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might arrest Him.

Mary Anoints Jesus

12 ^(BZ)Therefore, six days before ^(CA)the Passover, Jesus came to ^(CB)Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. ² So they made Him a dinner there, and ^(CC)Martha was serving; and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. ^3 (CD)Mary then took a ^[t]pound of very expensive ^(CE)perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But ^(CF)Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, the one who intended to ^[u]betray Him, *said, ⁵ “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred ^[v]denarii and the proceeds given to poor people?” ⁶ Now he said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he ^(CG)kept the money box, he used to ^[w]steal from ^(CH)what was put into it. ⁷ Therefore Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it ^[x]for ^(CI)the day of My burial. ^8 (CJ)For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

⁹ The ^(CK)large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not on account of Jesus only, but so that they might also see Lazarus, ^(CL)whom He raised from the dead. ¹⁰ But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also, ¹¹ because ^(CM)on account of him ^(CN)many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.

The Triumphal Entry

¹² On the next day, when ^(CO)the large crowd that had come to ^(CP)the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, ¹³ they took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began shouting, “^(CQ)Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, indeed, the ^(CR)King of Israel!” ¹⁴ Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: ¹⁵ “^(CS)Do not fear, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” ^16 (CT)These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus ^(CU)was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things for Him. ¹⁷ So ^(CV)the ^[y]people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead, continued to testify about Him. ^18 (CW)For this reason also the ^[z]people went to meet Him, ^(CX)because they heard that He had performed this ^[aa]sign. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said ^[ab]to one another, “You see that you are not accomplishing anything; look, the world has gone after Him!”

Greeks Seek Jesus

²⁰ Now there were some ^(CY)Greeks among those who were going up to worship at ^(CZ)the feast; ²¹ these people then came to ^(DA)Philip, who was from ^(DB)Bethsaida of Galilee, and were making a request of him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” ²² Philip *came and *told ^(DC)Andrew; then Andrew and Philip *came and *told Jesus. ²³ But Jesus *answered them by saying, “^(DD)The hour has come for the Son of Man to ^(DE)be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly I say to you, ^(DF)unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ^25 (DG)The one who loves his ^[ac]life loses it, and the one who ^(DH)hates his ^[ad]life in this world will keep it ^[ae]to eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone ^[af]serves Me, he must follow Me; and ^(DI)where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone ^[ag]serves Me, the Father will ^(DJ)honor him.

Jesus Foretells His Death

²⁷ “^(DK)Now My soul has become troubled; and what am I to say? ‘^(DL)Father, save Me from ^(DM)this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ^28 (DN)Father, glorify Your name.” Then a ^(DO)voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” ²⁹ So the crowd who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “^(DP)An angel has spoken to Him!” ³⁰ Jesus responded and said, “^(DQ)This voice has not come for My sake, but for yours. ^31 (DR)Now judgment is upon this world; now ^(DS)the ruler of this world will be cast out. ³² And I, if I ^(DT)am lifted up from the earth, will ^(DU)draw all people to Myself.” ³³ Now He was saying this ^(DV)to indicate what kind of death He was going to die. ³⁴ The crowd then answered Him, “We have heard from ^(DW)the Law that ^(DX)the ^[ah]Christ is to remain forever; and how is it that You say, ‘The ^(DY)Son of Man must be ^(DZ)lifted up’? Who is this ^(EA)Son of Man?” ³⁵ So Jesus said to them, “^(EB)For a little while longer ^(EC)the Light is among you. ^(ED)Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; also, the one who ^(EE)walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. ³⁶ While you have the Light, ^(EF)believe in the Light, so that you may become ^(EG)sons of Light.”

These things Jesus proclaimed, and He went away and ^(EH)hid Himself from them. ³⁷ But though He had performed so many ^[ai]signs in their sight, they still were not believing in Him. ³⁸ This happened so that the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke would be fulfilled: “^(EI)Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” ³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, ⁴⁰ “^(EJ)He has blinded their eyes and He ^(EK)hardened their heart, so that they will not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and ^[aj]be converted, and so I will not heal them.” ⁴¹ These things Isaiah said because ^(EL)he saw His glory, and ^(EM)he spoke about Him. ⁴² Nevertheless ^(EN)many, even of ^(EO)the rulers, believed in Him, but ^(EP)because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, so that they would not be ^(EQ)excommunicated from the synagogue; ^43 (ER)for they loved the ^[ak]approval of people rather than the ^[al]approval of God.

⁴⁴ Now Jesus cried out and said, “^(ES)The one who believes in Me, does not believe only in Me, but also in Him who sent Me. ⁴⁵ And ^(ET)the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. ^46 (EU)I have come as Light into the world, so that no one who believes in Me will remain in darkness. ⁴⁷ If anyone hears My ^[am]teachings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for ^(EV)I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ^48 (EW)The one who rejects Me and does not ^[an]accept My ^[ao]teachings has one who judges him: ^(EX)the word which I spoke. That will judge him on ^(EY)the last day. ^49 (EZ)For I did not speak ^[ap]on My own, but the Father Himself who sent Me ^(FA)has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. ⁵⁰ And I know that ^(FB)His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak ^(FC)just as the Father has told Me.”

The Testing of Your Faith

1 ^[a](A)James, a ^(B)bond-servant of God and ^(C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To ^(D)the twelve tribes who are ^[b](E)dispersed abroad: ^(F)Greetings.

^2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter ^(H)various ^[c]trials, ³ knowing that ^(I)the testing of your ^(J)faith produces ^[d](K)endurance. ⁴ And let ^[e](L)endurance have its perfect ^[f]result, so that you may be ^[g](M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

⁵ But if any of you ^(N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and ^[h]without reproach, and ^(O)it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ^(P)ask in faith ^(Q)without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, ^(R)driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that person ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a ^[i](S)double-minded man, ^(T)unstable in all his ways.

^9 (U)Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; ¹⁰ but the rich person is to glory in his ^[j]humiliation, because ^(V)like ^[k]flowering grass he will pass away. ¹¹ For the sun rises with ^(W)its scorching heat and ^(X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out.

^12 (Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has ^[l]been approved, he will receive ^(Z)the crown of life which the Lord ^(AA)has promised to those who ^(AB)love Him. ¹³ No one is to say when he is tempted, “^(AC)I am being tempted ^[m]by God”; for God cannot be tempted ^[n]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. ¹⁵ Then ^(AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and ^(AE)sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death. ^16 (AF)Do not be ^[o]deceived, ^(AG)my beloved brothers and sisters. ¹⁷ Every good thing given and every perfect gift is ^(AH)from above, coming down from ^(AI)the Father of lights, ^(AJ)with whom there is no variation or ^[p]shifting shadow. ¹⁸ In the exercise of ^(AK)His will He ^(AL)gave us birth by ^(AM)the word of truth, so that we would be ^[q]a kind of ^(AN)first fruits ^[r]among His creatures.

^19 [s](AO)You know this, ^(AP)my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, ^(AQ)slow to speak, and ^(AR)slow to anger; ²⁰ for a man’s ^(AS)anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. ²¹ Therefore, ^(AT)ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all ^[t]that remains of wickedness, in ^[u]humility receive ^(AU)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ^22 (AV)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his ^[v]natural face ^(AW)in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, ^[w]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who has looked intently at the perfect law, ^(AX)the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but ^[x]an active doer, this person will be ^(AY)blessed in ^[y]what he does.

²⁶ If anyone thinks himself to be religious, yet does not ^[z](AZ)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this person’s religion is worthless. ²⁷ Pure and undefiled religion ^(BA)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to ^(BB)visit ^(BC)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained ^[aa]by ^(BD)the world.

The Sin of Partiality

2 ^(BE)My brothers and sisters, ^(BF)do not hold your faith in our ^(BG)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of ^(BH)personal favoritism. ² For if a man comes into your ^[ab]assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in ^(BI)bright clothes, and a poor man in ^(BJ)dirty clothes also comes in, ³ and you ^[ac]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the ^(BK)bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” ⁴ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges ^(BL)with evil ^[ad]motives? ⁵ Listen, ^(BM)my beloved brothers and sisters: did ^(BN)God not choose the poor ^[ae]of this world to be ^(BO)rich in faith and ^(BP)heirs of the kingdom which He ^(BQ)promised to those who love Him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and ^[af]personally ^(BR)drag you into ^[ag]court? ^7 (BS)Do they not blaspheme the good name ^[ah]by which you have been called?

⁸ If, however, you ^(BT)are fulfilling the ^[ai]royal law according to the Scripture, “^(BU)You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. ⁹ But if you ^(BV)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the Law as violators. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet ^(BW)stumbles in one point, has become ^(BX)guilty of all. ¹¹ For He who said, “^(BY)Do not commit adultery,” also said, “^(BZ)Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a violator of the Law. ¹² So speak, and so act, as those who are to be judged by ^(CA)the law of freedom. ¹³ For ^(CB)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy ^[aj]triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Works

^14 (CC)What use is it, ^(CD)my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can ^[ak]that faith save him? ^15 (CE)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “^(CF)Go in peace, ^[al]be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ In the same way, ^(CG)faith also, if it has no works, is ^[am]dead, being by itself.

^18 (CH)But someone ^[an]may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your ^(CI)faith without the works, and I will ^(CJ)show you my faith ^(CK)by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that ^[ao](CL)God is one. ^(CM)You do well; ^(CN)the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But are you willing to acknowledge, ^(CO)you foolish person, that ^(CP)faith without works is useless? ^21 (CQ)Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that ^(CR)faith was working with his works, and ^[ap]as a result of the ^(CS)works, faith was ^[aq]perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “^(CT)And Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a ^(CU)friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, was ^(CV)Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also ^(CW)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also ^(CX)faith without works is dead.

The Tongue Is a Fire

3 ^(CY)Do not become teachers in large numbers, ^(CZ)my brothers, since you know that we who are teachers will incur a ^[ar]stricter judgment. ² For we all ^(DA)stumble in many ways. ^(DB)If anyone does not stumble in ^[as]what he says, he is a ^(DC)perfect man, able to ^[at](DD)rein in the whole body as well. ³ Now ^(DE)if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their whole body as well. ⁴ Look at the ships too: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are nevertheless directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot determines. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it ^(DF)boasts of great things.

^(DG)See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶ And ^(DH)the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among ^[au]our body’s parts as that which ^(DI)defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our ^[av]life, and is set on fire by ^[aw](DJ)hell. ⁷ For every ^[ax]species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human ^[ay]race. ⁸ But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of ^(DK)deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless ^(DL)our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, ^(DM)who have been made in the likeness of God; ¹⁰ from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, these things should not be this way. ¹¹ Does a spring send out from the same opening both ^[az]fresh and bitter water? ^12 (DN)Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, bear olives, or a vine bear figs? Nor can salt water produce ^[ba]fresh.

Wisdom from Above

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? ^(DO)Let him show by his ^(DP)good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter ^(DQ)jealousy and ^[bb]selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against ^(DR)the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which comes down ^(DS)from above, but is ^(DT)earthly, ^[bc](DU)natural, ^(DV)demonic. ¹⁶ For where ^(DW)jealousy and ^[bd]selfish ambition exist, ^[be]there is disorder and every evil thing. ¹⁷ But the wisdom ^(DX)from above is first ^(DY)pure, then ^(DZ)peace-loving, ^(EA)gentle, ^[bf]reasonable, ^(EB)full of mercy and good fruits, ^[bg](EC)impartial, free of ^(ED)hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the ^(EE)fruit of righteousness is sown in peace ^[bh]by those who make peace.