The Story of Scripture in 40 Days

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

² Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

⁴ And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.

⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.”

⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so.

⁸ God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so.

¹⁰ God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so.

¹² The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years.

¹⁵ And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.

¹⁶ God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.

¹⁷ God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth,

¹⁸ to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”

²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²² Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

²⁵ God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”

²⁷ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

²⁹ Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.

³⁰ And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

² And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.

³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

⁴ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

⁵ Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted, for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

⁶ But springs welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

⁷ Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

⁸ And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.

⁹ Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:

¹¹ The name of the first river is the Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

¹² And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.

¹⁴ The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden,

¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

¹⁸ The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”

¹⁹ And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

²⁰ The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

²¹ So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.

²² And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.

²³ And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.”

²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

²⁵ And the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

² The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,

³ but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not surely die,” the serpent told the woman.

⁵ “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

⁷ And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ “I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

¹¹ “Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

¹² And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”

¹⁴ So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.

¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

¹⁶ To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

¹⁸ Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

¹⁹ By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

²⁰ And Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living.

²¹ And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

²² Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”

²³ Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

²⁴ So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

¹ Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you.

² I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

³ I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

⁴ So Abram departed, as the LORD had directed him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

⁵ And Abram took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the possessions and people they had acquired in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,

⁶ Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the Oak of Moreh at Shechem. And at that time the Canaanites were in the land.

⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your offspring.” So Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

⁸ From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.

⁹ And Abram journeyed on toward the Negev.

¹ After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

² But Abram replied, “O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

³ Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”

⁴ Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, “This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

⁵ And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.”

⁶ Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

⁷ The LORD also told him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

⁸ But Abram replied, “Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?”

⁹ And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.”

¹⁰ So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half.

¹¹ And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

¹² As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him.

¹³ Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

¹⁴ But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.

¹⁵ You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

¹⁶ In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

¹⁷ When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses.

¹⁸ On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—

¹⁹ the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,

²⁰ Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

²¹ Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

¹ Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

² There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from within a bush. Moses saw the bush ablaze with fire, but it was not consumed.

³ So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”

⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.

⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”

⁶ Then He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.

⁸ I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen how severely the Egyptians are oppressing them.

¹⁰ Therefore, go! I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

¹¹ But Moses asked God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² “I will surely be with you,” God said, “and this will be the sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain.”

¹³ Then Moses asked God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ What should I tell them?”

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

¹⁵ God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

¹⁶ Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me and said: I have surely attended to you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.

¹⁷ And I have promised to bring you up out of your affliction in Egypt, into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

¹⁸ The elders of Israel will listen to what you say, and you must go with them to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now please let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness, so that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’

¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go unless a mighty hand compels him.

²⁰ So I will stretch out My hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders I will perform among them. And after that, he will release you.

²¹ And I will grant this people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that when you leave, you will not go away empty-handed.

²² Every woman shall ask her neighbor and any woman staying in her house for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. So you will plunder the Egyptians.”

¹ Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,

² “This month is the beginning of months for you; it shall be the first month of your year.

³ Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man must select a lamb for his family, one per household.

⁴ If the household is too small for a whole lamb, they are to share with the nearest neighbor based on the number of people, and apportion the lamb accordingly.

⁵ Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.

⁶ You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight.

⁷ They are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.

⁸ They are to eat the meat that night, roasted over the fire, along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

⁹ Do not eat any of the meat raw or cooked in boiling water, but only roasted over the fire—its head and legs and inner parts.

¹⁰ Do not leave any of it until morning; before the morning you must burn up any part that is left over.

¹¹ This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

¹² On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.

¹³ The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a sign; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ And this day will be a memorial for you, and you are to celebrate it as a feast to the LORD, as a permanent statute for the generations to come.

¹⁵ For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.

¹⁶ On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly, and another on the seventh day. You must not do any work on those days, except to prepare the meals—that is all you may do.

¹⁷ So you are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your divisions out of the land of Egypt. You must keep this day as a permanent statute for the generations to come.

¹⁸ In the first month you are to eat unleavened bread, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.

¹⁹ For seven days there must be no leaven found in your houses. If anyone eats something leavened, that person, whether a foreigner or native of the land, must be cut off from the congregation of Israel.

²⁰ You are not to eat anything leavened; eat unleavened bread in all your homes.”

²¹ Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and told them, “Go at once and select for yourselves a lamb for each family, and slaughter the Passover lamb.

²² Take a cluster of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin, and brush the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.

²³ When the LORD passes through to strike down the Egyptians, He will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway; so He will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.

²⁴ And you are to keep this command as a permanent statute for you and your descendants.

²⁵ When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.

²⁶ When your children ask you, ‘What does this service mean to you?’

²⁷ you are to reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck down the Egyptians and spared our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped.

²⁸ And the Israelites went and did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

²⁹ Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.

³⁰ During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.

³¹ Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Get up, leave my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested.

³² Take your flocks and herds as well, just as you have said, and depart! And bless me also.”

³³ And in order to send them out of the land quickly, the Egyptians urged the people on. “For otherwise,” they said, “we are all going to die!”

³⁴ So the people took their dough before it was leavened, carrying it on their shoulders in kneading bowls wrapped in clothing.

³⁵ Furthermore, the Israelites acted on Moses’ word and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold, and for clothing.

³⁶ And the LORD gave the people such favor in the sight of the Egyptians that they granted their request. In this way they plundered the Egyptians.

³⁷ The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth with about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.

³⁸ And a mixed multitude also went up with them, along with great droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

³⁹ Since their dough had no leaven, the people baked what they had brought out of Egypt into unleavened loaves. For when they had been driven out of Egypt, they could not delay and had not prepared any provisions for themselves.

⁴⁰ Now the duration of the Israelites’ stay in Egypt was 430 years.

⁴¹ At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions went out of the land of Egypt.

⁴² Because the LORD kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the LORD, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.

⁴³ And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: No foreigner is to eat of it.

⁴⁴ But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him.

⁴⁵ A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover.

⁴⁶ It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones.

⁴⁷ The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it.

⁴⁸ If a foreigner resides with you and wants to celebrate the LORD’s Passover, all the males in the household must be circumcised; then he may come near to celebrate it, and he shall be like a native of the land. But no uncircumcised man may eat of it.

⁴⁹ The same law shall apply to both the native and the foreigner who resides among you.”

⁵⁰ Then all the Israelites did this—they did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.

⁵¹ And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by their divisions.

¹ In the third month, on the same day of the month that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.

² After they had set out from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

³ Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain, “This is what you are to tell the house of Jacob and explain to the sons of Israel:

⁴ ‘You have seen for yourselves what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

⁵ Now if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you will be My treasured possession out of all the nations—for the whole earth is Mine.

⁶ And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites.”

⁷ So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.

⁸ And all the people answered together, “We will do everything that the LORD has spoken.” So Moses brought their words back to the LORD.

¹ And God spoke all these words:

² “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

³ You shall have no other gods before Me.

⁴ You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath.

⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

⁶ but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

⁷ You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain.

⁸ Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.

¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

¹² Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

¹³ You shall not murder.

¹⁴ You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁵ You shall not steal.

¹⁶ You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

¹⁷ You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

¹⁸ When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sounding of the ram’s horn, and the mountain enveloped in smoke, they trembled and stood at a distance.

¹⁹ “Speak to us yourself and we will listen,” they said to Moses. “But do not let God speak to us, or we will die.”

²⁰ “Do not be afraid,” Moses replied. “For God has come to test you, so that the fear of Him may be before you, to keep you from sinning.”

²¹ And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

¹ Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD.

² And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

³ This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

⁴ He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them.

⁵ And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

⁶ Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household.

⁷ Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

⁸ After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat,

⁹ he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering.

¹⁰ But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

¹¹ When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.

¹² Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil.

¹³ He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die.

¹⁴ And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat.

¹⁵ Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.

¹⁶ So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them in the midst of their impurities.

¹⁷ No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.

¹⁸ Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar.

¹⁹ He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

²⁰ When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat.

²¹ Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task.

²² The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.

²³ Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there.

²⁴ He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people.

²⁵ He is also to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

²⁶ The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

²⁷ The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up.

²⁸ The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.

²⁹ This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you—

³⁰ because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

³¹ It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.

³² The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments

³³ and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly.

³⁴ This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.” And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.

¹ These are the commandments and statutes and ordinances that the LORD your God has instructed me to teach you to follow in the land that you are about to enter and possess,

² so that you and your children and grandchildren may fear the LORD your God all the days of your lives by keeping all His statutes and commandments that I give you, and so that your days may be prolonged.

³ Hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you.

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.

⁵ And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

⁶ These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts.

⁷ And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

⁸ Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates.

¹⁰ And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build,

¹¹ with houses full of every good thing with which you did not fill them, with wells that you did not dig, and with vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant—and when you eat and are satisfied,

¹² be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

¹³ Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.

¹⁴ Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you.

¹⁵ For the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth.

¹⁶ Do not test the LORD your God as you tested Him at Massah.

¹⁷ You are to diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God and the testimonies and statutes He has given you.

¹⁸ Do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, so that it may be well with you and that you may enter and possess the good land that the LORD your God swore to give your fathers,

¹⁹ driving out all your enemies before you, as the LORD has said.

²⁰ In the future, when your son asks, “What is the meaning of the decrees and statutes and ordinances that the LORD our God has commanded you?”

²¹ then you are to tell him, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

²² Before our eyes the LORD inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household.

²³ But He brought us out from there to lead us in and give us the land that He had sworn to our fathers.

²⁴ And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes and to fear the LORD our God, that we may always be prosperous and preserved, as we are to this day.

²⁵ And if we are careful to observe every one of these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us, then that will be our righteousness.”

¹ Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel, and they presented themselves before God.

² And Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your fathers, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods.

³ But I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates and led him through all the land of Canaan, and I multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,

⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

⁵ Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and afterward I brought you out.

⁶ When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea.

⁷ So your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, over whom He brought the sea and engulfed them. Your very eyes saw what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

⁸ Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I delivered them into your hand, that you should possess their land when I destroyed them before you.

⁹ Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,

¹⁰ but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.

¹¹ After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.

¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, and it drove out the two Amorite kings before you, but not by your own sword or bow.

¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities that you did not build, and now you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

¹⁴ Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; cast aside the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.

¹⁵ But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD!”

¹ Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?

² The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:

³ “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”

⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.

⁵ Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury:

⁶ “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”

⁷ I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.

⁸ Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.

⁹ You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”

¹⁰ Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.

¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹² Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

¹ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.

³ He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.

⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.

² Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

⁴ Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.

⁵ Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

⁶ Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

⁷ Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice.

⁹ Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

¹¹ Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.

¹² Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will return to You.

¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguilt, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing of Your righteousness.

¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.

¹⁶ For You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You take no pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

¹⁸ In Your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.

¹⁹ Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, in whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on Your altar.

¹ Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

² The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

³ You have enlarged the nation and increased its joy. The people rejoice before You as they rejoice at harvest time, as men rejoice in dividing the plunder.

⁴ For as in the day of Midian You have shattered the yoke of their burden, the bar across their shoulders, and the rod of their oppressor.

⁵ For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.

⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.

¹ Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

² He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him.

³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.

⁴ Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.

⁵ But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

⁶ We all like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

⁸ By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people.

⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

¹¹ After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

³¹ Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.

³² It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant they broke, though I was a husband to them,” declares the LORD.

³³ “But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

³⁴ No longer will each man teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sins no more.”

³⁵ Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:

³⁶ “Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.”

³⁷ This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

³⁸ “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this city will be rebuilt for Me, from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate.

³⁹ The measuring line will once again stretch out straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn toward Goah.

⁴⁰ The whole valley of the dead bodies and ashes, and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley, to the corner of the Horse Gate to the east, will be holy to the LORD. It will never again be uprooted or demolished.”

²² Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.

²³ I will show the holiness of My great name, which has been profaned among the nations—the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when I show My holiness in you before their eyes.

²⁴ For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries, and I will bring you back into your own land.

²⁵ I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols.

²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

²⁷ And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances.

²⁸ Then you will live in the land that I gave your forefathers; you will be My people, and I will be your God.

²⁹ I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will summon the grain and make it plentiful, and I will not bring famine upon you.

³⁰ I will also make the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field plentiful, so that you will no longer bear reproach among the nations on account of famine.

³¹ Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and abominations.

³² It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD—let it be known to you. Be ashamed and disgraced for your ways, O house of Israel!

³³ This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be resettled and the ruins to be rebuilt.

³⁴ The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through.

³⁵ Then they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden. The cities that were once ruined, desolate, and destroyed are now fortified and inhabited.’

³⁶ Then the nations around you that remain will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was destroyed, and I have replanted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do it.

³⁷ This is what the Lord GOD says: Once again I will hear the plea of the house of Israel and do for them this: I will multiply their people like a flock.

³⁸ Like the numerous flocks for sacrifices at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so the ruined cities will be filled with flocks of people. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”

⁹ As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

¹⁰ A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

¹¹ Then I kept watching because of the arrogant words the horn was speaking. As I continued to watch, the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.

¹² As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was removed, but they were granted an extension of life for a season and a time.

¹³ In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

¹⁴ And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

¹ Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.

² But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.

⁴ He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land and tramples our citadels. We will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.

¹ This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

² Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.

³ Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.

⁴ Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon.

⁵ Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

⁶ and Jesse the father of David the king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

⁷ Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa.

⁸ Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah.

⁹ Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.

¹⁰ Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,

¹¹ and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

¹² After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

¹³ Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor.

¹⁴ Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud.

¹⁵ Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,

¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

²¹ She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

²³ “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and embraced Mary as his wife.

²⁵ But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

¹ When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,

² and He began to teach them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

¹³ You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

¹⁴ You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

¹ This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

² As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”

³ “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

⁴ John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

⁵ People went out to him from all of Jerusalem and the countryside of Judea. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

⁶ John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

⁷ And he proclaimed: “After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

⁸ I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

⁹ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

¹⁰ As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens breaking open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove.

¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

¹² At once the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness,

¹³ and He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels ministered to Him.

¹⁴ After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.

¹⁵ “The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.

¹⁵ He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone.

¹⁶ Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,

¹⁷ the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,

¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,

²¹ and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

²² All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

²³ Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”

²⁴ Then He added, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.

²⁵ But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land.

²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.

²⁷ And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.

²⁹ They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.

³⁰ But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² He was with God in the beginning.

³ Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

⁴ In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.

⁵ The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John.

⁷ He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.

⁸ He himself was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

⁹ The true Light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.

¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.

¹² But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—

¹³ children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵ John testified concerning Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”

¹⁶ From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.

¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

¹ Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.

² The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, set it on His head, and dressed Him in a purple robe.

³ And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.

⁴ Once again Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.”

⁵ When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

⁶ As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”

⁷ “We have a law,” answered the Jews, “and according to that law He must die, because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.”

⁸ When Pilate heard this statement, he was even more afraid,

⁹ and he went back into the Praetorium. “Where are You from?” he asked. But Jesus gave no answer.

¹⁰ So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.”

¹² From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”

¹³ When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat at a place called the Stone Pavement, which in Hebrew is Gabbatha.

¹⁴ It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”

¹⁵ At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.

¹⁶ Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, and the soldiers took Him away.

¹⁷ Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.

¹⁸ There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate also had a notice posted on the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

²¹ So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but only that He said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

²³ When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

²⁴ So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the soldiers did.

²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.

²⁶ When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”

²⁷ Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.

²⁸ After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”

²⁹ A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.

³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

³¹ It was the day of Preparation, and the next day was a High Sabbath. In order that the bodies would not remain on the cross during the Sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies removed.

³² So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and those of the other.

³³ But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

³⁵ The one who saw it has testified to this, and his testimony is true. He knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.

³⁶ Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”

³⁷ And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”

³⁸ Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body.

³⁹ Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

⁴⁰ So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.

⁴¹ Now there was a garden in the place where Jesus was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.

⁴² And because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they placed Jesus there.

¹ Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.

² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!”

³ Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the tomb.

⁴ The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

⁵ He bent down and looked in at the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

⁶ Simon Peter arrived just after him. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.

⁷ The cloth that had been around Jesus’ head was rolled up, lying separate from the linen cloths.

⁸ Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. And he saw and believed.

⁹ For they still did not understand from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

¹⁰ Then the disciples returned to their homes.

¹¹ But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb,

¹² and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.

¹³ “Woman, why are you weeping?” they asked. “Because they have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I do not know where they have put Him.”

¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not recognize that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ “Woman, why are you weeping?” Jesus asked. “Whom are you seeking?” Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him off, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ “Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.

¹⁹ It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.

²⁰ After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.”

²² When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

²⁴ Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.

²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

²⁶ Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

²⁷ Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.

³¹ But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.

²² Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.

²³ He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.

²⁴ But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip.

²⁵ David says about Him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

²⁶ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell in hope,

²⁷ because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

²⁸ You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’

²⁹ Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that He would place one of his descendants on his throne.

³¹ Foreseeing this, David spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did His body see decay.

³² God has raised this Jesus to life, to which we are all witnesses.

³³ Exalted, then, to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

³⁴ For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand

³⁵ until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’

³⁶ Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹ This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he testified, and he urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt generation.”

⁴¹ Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

⁴³ A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs.

⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common.

⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.

⁴⁶ With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,

⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

²¹ But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.

²² And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

²⁴ and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

²⁵ God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.

²⁶ He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.

²⁸ For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

²⁹ Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,

³⁰ since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

³¹ Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

² For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death.

³ For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh,

⁴ so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

⁵ Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

⁶ The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,

⁷ because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.

⁸ Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

¹¹ And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation, but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it.

¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption to sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

¹⁷ And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us.

¹⁹ The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.

²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope

²¹ that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.

²³ Not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

²⁴ For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?

²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know how we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words.

²⁷ And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

²⁹ For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

³⁰ And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.

³¹ What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³² He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

³³ Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

³⁴ Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

³⁶ As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

¹ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

² in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

³ All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

⁴ But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

⁷ in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

¹¹ Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—

¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility

¹⁵ by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace

¹⁶ and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility.

¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

¹⁸ For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

¹⁹ Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,

²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

²¹ In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

²² And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.

¹ For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. It can never, by the same sacrifices offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

² If it could, would not the offerings have ceased? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt the guilt of their sins.

³ Instead, those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,

⁴ because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me.

⁶ In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.

⁷ Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’”

⁸ In the passage above He says, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not desire, nor did You delight in them” (although they are offered according to the law).

⁹ Then He adds, “Here I am, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first to establish the second.

¹⁰ And by that will, we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

¹¹ Day after day every priest stands to minister and to offer again and again the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

¹² But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.

¹³ Since that time, He waits for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet,

¹⁴ because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First He says:

¹⁶ “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.”

¹⁷ Then He adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

¹⁸ And where these have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer needed.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,

²⁰ by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,

²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

²² let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

²³ Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.

²⁴ And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.

²⁵ Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

¹ Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.

² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,

³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,

⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶ For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”

⁷ To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

⁸ and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

¹² Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.