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2 Now I will tell you the truth.
The Angel Gives a Message to Daniel
“Three[a] more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth[b] king will be unusually rich,[c] more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against[d] the kingdom of Greece. 3 Then a powerful king[e] will arise, exercising great authority and doing as he pleases. 4 Shortly after his rise to power,[f] his kingdom will be broken up and distributed toward the four winds of the sky[g]—but not to his posterity or with the authority he exercised, for his kingdom will be uprooted and distributed to others besides these.
5 “Then the king of the south[h] and one of his subordinates[i] will grow strong. His subordinate[j] will resist[k] him and will rule a kingdom greater than his.[l] 6 After some years have passed, they[m] will form an alliance. Then the daughter[n] of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement, but she will not retain her power,[o] nor will he continue[p] in his strength.[q] She, together with the one who brought her, her child,[r] and her benefactor will all be delivered over at that time.[s]
7 “There will arise in his[t] place one from her family line[u] who will come against their army and will enter the stronghold of the king of the north and will move against them successfully.[v] 8 He will also take their gods into captivity to Egypt, along with their cast images and prized utensils of silver and gold. Then he will withdraw for some years from[w] the king of the north. 9 Then the king of the north[x] will advance against the empire of the king of the south, but will withdraw to his own land. 10 His sons[y] will wage war, mustering a large army that will advance like an overflowing river and carrying the battle all the way to the enemy’s[z] fortress.[aa]
11 “Then the king of the south[ab] will be enraged and will march out to fight against the king of the north, who will also muster a large army, but that army will be delivered into his hand. 12 When the army is taken away, the king of the south will become arrogant.[ac] He will be responsible for the death[ad] of thousands and thousands of people,[ae] but he will not continue to prevail. 13 For the king of the north will again muster an army, one larger than before. At the end of some years he will advance with a huge army and enormous supplies.
14 “In those times many will oppose[af] the king of the south.[ag] Those who are violent[ah] among your own people will rise up in confirmation of[ai] the vision, but they will falter. 15 Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and capture a well-fortified city.[aj] The forces of the south will not prevail, not even his finest contingents.[ak] They will have no strength to prevail. 16 The one advancing against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to stand before him. He will prevail in the beautiful land, and its annihilation will be within his power.[al] 17 His intention[am] will be to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and he will form alliances.[an] He will give the king of the south[ao] a daughter[ap] in marriage in order to destroy the kingdom, but it will not turn out to his advantage. 18 Then he will turn his attention[aq] to the coastal regions and will capture many of them. But a commander[ar] will bring his shameful conduct to a halt; in addition,[as] he will make him pay for his shameful conduct.[at] 19 He will then turn his attention to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall, not to be found again. 20 There will arise after him[au] one[av] who will send out an exactor[aw] of tribute to enhance the splendor of the kingdom, but after a few days he will be destroyed,[ax] though not in anger or battle.
21 “Then there will arise in his place a despicable person[ay] to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred. He will come on the scene in a time of prosperity and will seize the kingdom through deceit. 22 Armies[az] will be suddenly[ba] swept away in defeat[bb] before him; both they and a covenant leader[bc] will be destroyed.[bd] 23 After[be] entering into an alliance with him, he will behave treacherously; he will ascend to power with only a small force.[bf] 24 In a time of prosperity for the most productive areas of the province he will come and accomplish what neither his fathers nor their fathers accomplished. He will distribute loot, spoils, and property to his followers, and he will devise plans against fortified cities, but not for long.[bg] 25 He will rouse his strength and enthusiasm[bh] against the king of the south[bi] with a large army. The king of the south will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to prevail because of the plans devised against him. 26 Those who share the king’s fine food will attempt to destroy him, and his army will be swept away;[bj] many will be killed in battle. 27 These two kings, their minds[bk] filled with evil intentions, will trade[bl] lies with one another at the same table. But it will not succeed, for there is still an end at the appointed time. 28 Then the king of the north[bm] will return to his own land with much property. His mind will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action, and then return to his own land. 29 At an appointed time he will again invade the south, but this latter visit will not turn out the way the former one did. 30 The ships of Kittim[bn] will come against him, leaving him disheartened.[bo] He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor[bp] those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 His forces[bq] will rise up and profane the fortified sanctuary,[br] stopping the daily sacrifice. In its place they will set up[bs] the abomination that causes desolation. 32 Then with smooth words he will defile[bt] those who have rejected[bu] the covenant. But the people who are loyal to[bv] their God will act valiantly.[bw] 33 These who are wise among the people will teach the masses.[bx] However, they will fall[by] by the sword and by the flame,[bz] and they will be imprisoned and plundered for some time.[ca] 34 When they stumble, they will be granted some help. But many will unite with them deceitfully. 35 Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement, purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you: The one who practices righteousness[a] is righteous, just as Jesus[b] is righteous. 8 The one who practices sin is of the devil,[c] because the devil has been sinning[d] from the beginning. For this purpose[e] the Son of God was revealed: to destroy[f] the works of the devil. 9 Everyone who has been fathered[g] by God does not practice sin,[h] because[i] God’s[j] seed[k] resides in him, and thus[l] he is not able to sin, because he has been fathered by God. 10 By this[m] the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness—the one who does not love his fellow Christian[n]—is not of God.
God Is Love, So We Must Love One Another
11 For[o] this is the gospel[p] message[q] that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another,[r] 12 not like Cain[s] who was of the evil one and brutally[t] murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.
13 Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters,[u] if the world hates you.[v] 14 We know that[w] we have crossed over[x] from death to life[y] because[z] we love our fellow Christians.[aa] The one who does not love remains in death.[ab] 15 Everyone who hates his fellow Christian[ac] is a murderer,[ad] and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing[ae] in him. 16 We have come to know love by this:[af] that Jesus[ag] laid down[ah] his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. 17 But whoever has the world’s possessions[ai] and sees his fellow Christian[aj] in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God[ak] reside[al] in such a person?[am]
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.[an] 19 And by this[ao] we will know that we are of the truth and will convince[ap] our conscience[aq] in his presence,[ar] 20 that[as] if our conscience condemns[at] us, that[au] God is greater than our conscience and knows all things. 21 Dear friends, if our conscience does not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God, 22 and[av] whatever we ask we receive from him, because[aw] we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing to him. 23 Now[ax] this is his commandment:[ay] that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he gave[az] us the commandment. 24 And the person who keeps his commandments resides[ba] in God,[bb] and God[bc] in him. Now by this[bd] we know that God[be] resides in us: by the Spirit he has given us.
Psalm 122[a]
A song of ascents;[b] by David.
122 I was glad because[c] they said to me,
“We will go to the Lord’s temple.”
2 Our feet are[d] standing
inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is a city designed
to accommodate an assembly.[e]
4 The tribes go up[f] there,[g]
the tribes of the Lord,
where it is required that Israel
give thanks to the name of the Lord.[h]
5 Indeed,[i] the leaders sit[j] there on thrones and make legal decisions,
on the thrones of the house of David.[k]
6 Pray[l] for the peace of Jerusalem.
May those who love her prosper.[m]
7 May there be peace inside your defenses,
and prosperity[n] inside your fortresses.[o]
8 For the sake of my brothers and my neighbors
I will say, “May there be peace in you.”
9 For the sake of the temple of the Lord our God
I will pray for you to prosper.[p]
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