The Vine Community Church Sermon Podcast

Saul Tries to Kill David 19And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.2And Jonathan told David, Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself.3And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you. 4And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?6And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death. 7And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. 8And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him.9Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. 10And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 11Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. 12So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13Michal took an image[a] and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. 14And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. 15Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.16And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. 17Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go. Why should I kill you? 18Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19And it was told Saul, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. 20Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah. 23And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, Is Saul also among the prophets?

David Anointed King 16The Lord said to Samuel, How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons. 2And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you. 4Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, Do you come peaceably? 5And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. 7But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. 10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these. 11Then Samuel said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest,[a] but behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here. 12And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. David in Saul's Service 14Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lordtormented him. 15And Saul's servants said to him, Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well. 17So Saul said to his servants, Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me. 18One of the young men answered, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him. 19Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son, who is with the sheep. 20And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul.21And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight. 23And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. David and Goliath 17Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six[b] cubits[c] and a span. 5He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels[d] of bronze. 6And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. 8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. 10And the Philistine said, I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together. 11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.[e] 13The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.14David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. 17And Jesse said to David his son, Take for your brothers an ephah[f] of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them. 19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers.23As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel. 26And David said to the men who stood by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27And the people answered him in the same way, So shall it be done to the man who kills him. 28Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle. 29And David said, What have I done now? Was it not but a word? 30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before. 31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth. 34But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God. 37And David said, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you! 38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them. So David put them off. 40Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44The Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field. 45Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that the Lordsaves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand. 48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath[g] and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. 55As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I do not know. 56And the king said, Inquire whose son the boy is. 57And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 21Then Peter came up and said to him, Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? 22Jesus said to him, I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.[a] 24When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.[b] 25And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26So the servant[c] fell on his knees, imploring him, Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. 27And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii,[d] and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, Pay what you owe. 29So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, Have patience with me, and I will pay you. 30He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32Then his master summoned him and said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you? 34And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[e] until he should pay all his debt. 35So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."

He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today. 6So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7And when they saw it, they all grumbled, He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner. 8And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold. 9And Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

The Lord is the strength of his people;he is the saving refuge of his anointed.9Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

33And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, What were you discussing on the way? 34But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.35And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.36And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.

11To this end wealways pray for you, that our God maymake you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and everywork of faith by his power,12so that the name of our Lord Jesusmay be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

21And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea.22Then came one ofthe rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet23and implored him earnestly, saying, My little daughter is at the point of death. Come andlay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.24And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him andthronged about him.25And there was a womanwho had had a discharge of blood for twelve years,26and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.27She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.28For she said, If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.29And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of herdisease.30And Jesus, perceiving in himself thatpower had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said,Who touched my garments?31And his disciples said to him, You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say,Who touched me?32And he looked around to see who had done it.33But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth.34And he said to her,Daughter,your faith has made you well;go in peace, and be healed of yourdisease. 35While he was still speaking, there came fromthe ruler's house some who said, Your daughter is dead. Whytroublethe Teacher any further?36But overhearing[a]what they said, Jesus said tothe ruler of the synagogue,Do not fear, only believe.37And he allowed no one to follow him exceptPeter and James andJohn the brother of James.38They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus[b]saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.39And when he had entered, he said to them,Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead butsleeping.40And they laughed at him. But heput them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.41Taking her by the hand he said to her,Talitha cumi,which means,Little girl, I say to you,arise.42And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement.43Andhe strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

28Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene andthe other Mary went to see the tomb.2And behold, there was a great earthquake, foran angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.3His appearance was like lightning, andhis clothing white as snow.4And for fear of him the guards trembled andbecame like dead men.5But the angel said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.6He is not here, for he has risen,as he said. Come, see the place where he[a]lay.7Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold,he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.8So they departed quickly from the tombwith fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.9And behold, Jesusmet them and said,Greetings!And they came up andtook hold of his feet andworshiped him.10Then Jesus said to them,Do not be afraid;go and tellmy brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. 16Now the eleven discipleswent to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.17And when they saw him theyworshiped him, but some doubted.18And Jesus came and said to them,All authorityin heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Go therefore andmake disciples ofall nations,baptizing themin[a]the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20teaching themto observe all thatI have commanded you. And behold,I am with you always, tothe end of the age.

And again Jesusspoke to them in parables, saying,2The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gavea wedding feast for his son,3andsent his servants[a]to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.4Again he sent other servants, saying, Tell those who are invited, See, I have prepared mydinner,my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.5Butthey paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,6while the rest seized his servants,treated them shamefully, andkilled them.7The king was angry, and he sent his troops anddestroyed those murderers and burned their city.8Then he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were notworthy.9Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.10And those servants went out into the roads andgathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw therea man who had no wedding garment.12And he said to him,Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? And he was speechless.13Then the king said to the attendants, Bind him hand and foot andcast him into the outer darkness. In that placethere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.14For many arecalled, but few arechosen.

31What then shall we say to these things?If God is for us, who can be[a]against us?32He who did not spare his own Son butgave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?33Who shall bring any charge against God's elect?It is God who justifies.34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who diedmore than that, who was raisedwho is at the right hand of God,who indeed is interceding for us.[b]35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?36As it is written, For your sakewe are being killed all the day long;we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. 37No, in all these things we are more thanconquerors throughhim who loved us.38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

28And we know that for those who love God all things work togetherfor good,[a]forthose who are called according to his purpose.29For those whom heforeknew he alsopredestinedto be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might bethe firstborn among many brothers.30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he alsojustified, and those whom he justified he alsoglorified.

26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. Forwe do not know what to pray for as we ought, butthe Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.27Andhe who searches hearts knows what isthe mind of the Spirit, because[a]the Spiritintercedes for the saintsaccording to the will of God.

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present timeare not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.19For the creation waits with eager longing forthe revealing of the sons of God.20For the creationwas subjected to futility, not willingly, butbecause of him who subjected it, in hope21thatthe creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.22For we know thatthe whole creationhas been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who havethe firstfruits of the Spirit,groan inwardly aswe wait eagerly for adoption as sons,the redemption of our bodies.24Forin this hope we were saved. Nowhope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?25But if we hope for what we do not see, wewait for it with patience.

12So then, brothers,[a]we are debtors,not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.13For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit youput to death the deeds of the body, you will live.14For all who areled by the Spirit of God aresons[b]of God.15Foryou did not receivethe spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit ofadoption as sons, by whom we cry,Abba! Father!16The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,17and if children, thenheirsheirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

5Forthose who live according to the flesh set their minds onthe things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds onthe things of the Spirit.6For to setthe mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.7For the mind that is set on the flesh ishostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law;indeed, it cannot.8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in factthe Spirit of God dwells in you.Anyone who does not havethe Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.10But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.11If the Spirit ofhim who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus[a]from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodiesthrough his Spirit who dwells in you.

8There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a]2For the law ofthe Spirit of lifehas set you[b]free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.3ForGod has done what the law,weakened by the flesh,could not do.By sending his own Sonin the likeness of sinful flesh andfor sin,[c]he condemned sin in the flesh,4in order thatthe righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us,who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

13Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.14For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh,sold under sin.15For I do not understand my own actions. ForI do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.16Now if I do what I do not want, I agree withthe law, that it is good.17So nowit is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.18For I know that nothing good dwellsin me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.20Now if I do what I do not want,it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.22ForI delight in the law of God,in my inner being,23but I see in my membersanother law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me fromthis body of death?25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

7What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law,I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet ifthe law had not said, You shall not covet.8But sin,seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness.For apart from the law, sin lies dead.9I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.10The very commandmentthat promised life proved to be death to me.11For sin,seizing an opportunity through the commandment,deceived me and through it killed me.12Sothe law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

7Or do you not know, brothers[a]for I am speaking to those who know the lawthat the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?2Fora married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.[b]3Accordingly,she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. 4Likewise, my brothers,you also have diedto the lawthrough the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead,in order that we may bear fruit for God.5For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at workin our membersto bear fruit for death.6But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in thenew way ofthe Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

19I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. Forjust as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your membersas slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.21But what fruit were you getting at that time from the thingsof which you are now ashamed?For the end of those things is death.22But now that youhave been set free from sin andhave become slaves of God,the fruit you get leads to sanctification andits end, eternal life.23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

15What then?Are we to sinbecause we are not under law but under grace? By no means!16Do you not know that if you present yourselvesto anyone as obedient slaves,[a]you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?17Butthanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to thestandard of teaching to which you were committed,18and,having been set free from sin,have become slaves of righteousness.

8Nowif we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.9We know thatChrist, being raised from the dead, will never die again;death no longer has dominion over him.10For the death he died he died to sin,once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.11So you also must consider yourselvesdead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Let notsin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.13Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, butpresent yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.14Forsinwill have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

6What shall we say then?Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?2By no means! How canwe who died to sin still live in it?3Do you not know that all of uswho have been baptizedinto Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?4We wereburied therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just asChrist was raised from the dead bythe glory of the Father, we too might walk innewness of life. 5Forif we have been united with him ina death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.6We know thatour old self[a]was crucified with him in order thatthe body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.7Forone who has diedhas been set free[b]from sin.

Matthew 2:13-23 Now when they had departed, behold,an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.14And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt15and remained there until the death of Herod.This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet,Out of Egypt I called my son. 16Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.17Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18A voice was heard in Ramah,weeping and loud lamentation,Rachel weeping for her children;she refused to be comforted, because theyare no more. 19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,20saying, Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, forthose who sought the child's life are dead.21And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, andbeing warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee.23And he went and lived in a city calledNazareth,so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. Revelation 12 12And a great sign appeared in heaven: a womanclothed withthe sun, withthe moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.2She was pregnant andwas crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.3And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a greatred dragon,with seven heads andten horns, and on his headsseven diadems.4His tail swept downa third of the stars of heaven andcast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her childhe might devour it.5She gave birth to a male child,one who is to rule[a]all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child wascaught up to God and to his throne,6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for1,260 days. 7Now war arose in heaven,Michael andhis angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,8but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.9Andthe great dragon was thrown down,that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan,the deceiver of the whole worldhe was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.10And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Nowthe salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[b]has been thrown down,who accuses them day and night before our God.11Andthey have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, forthey loved not their liveseven unto death.12Therefore,rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! Butwoe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, becausehe knows that his time is short! 13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursuedthe woman who had given birth to the male child.14But the woman was given the twowings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpentinto the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourishedfor a time, and times, and half a time.15The serpent poured waterlike a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood.16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth.17Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went offto make war on the rest ofher offspring,on those who keep the commandments of God and hold tothe testimony of Jesus. And he stood[c]on the sand of the sea.

Matthew 2:1-12 2Nowafter Jesus was born inBethlehem of Judeain the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a]fromthe east came to Jerusalem,2saying, Where is he who has been bornking of the Jews? For we sawhis star when it rose[b]and have come toworship him.3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;4and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them wherethe Christ was to be born.5They told him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for from you shall come a rulerwho willshepherd my people Israel. 7Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.8And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.9After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.11And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures,they offered him gifts,gold andfrankincense andmyrrh.12Andbeing warnedin a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Rev. 7:9-12 9After this I looked, and behold,a great multitude that no one could number,from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,clothed in white robes, withpalm branches in their hands,10and crying out with a loud voice,Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!11And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders andthe four living creatures, and theyfell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,12saying, Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.

Luke 1:26-33 26In the sixth month the angelGabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee namedNazareth,27to a virgin betrothed[a]to a man whose name was Joseph,of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.28And he came to her and said, Greetings,O favored one,the Lord is with you![b]29Butshe was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.30And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, foryou have found favor with God.31And behold,you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, andyou shall call his name Jesus.32He will be great and will be called the Son ofthe Most High. And the Lord Godwill give to him the throne ofhis father David,33and he will reign over the house of Jacobforever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Rev. 22:1-5 22Then the angel[a]showed methe river ofthe water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb2through the middle ofthe street of the city;also, on either side of the river,the tree of life[b]with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree werefor the healing of the nations.3No longer will there be anything accursed, butthe throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, andhis servants will worship him.4They will see his face, andhis name will be on their foreheads.5Andnight will be no more. They will need no light of lampor sun, forthe Lord God will be their light, andthey will reign forever and ever.

46And Mary said, Mysoulmagnifies the Lord,47and myspirit rejoices inGod my Savior,48forhe has looked on the humble estate of his servant.For behold, from now on all generationswill call me blessed;49forhe who is mightyhas done great things for me,andholy is his name.50Andhis mercy is for those who fear himfrom generation to generation.51He has shown strength with his arm;he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;52he has brought down the mighty from their thronesand exalted those of humble estate;53he has filledthe hungry with good things,and the richhe has sent away empty.54He hashelpedhis servant Israel,in remembrance of his mercy,55as he spoke to our fathers,to Abraham and to his offspring forever. 19After this I heardwhat seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, Hallelujah!Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,2forhis judgments are true and just;for he has judgedthe great prostitutewho corrupted the earth with her immorality,andhas avenged on her the blood of his servants. 3Once more they cried out, Hallelujah!The smoke from her goes up forever and ever. 4Andthe twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, Amen. Hallelujah!5And from the throne came a voice saying, Praise our God,all you his servants,you who fear him,small and great. 6Then I heard what seemed to bethe voice of a great multitude, likethe roar of many waters andlike the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, Hallelujah!For the Lord our Godthe Almightyreigns.7Let us rejoice and exultand give him the glory,forthe marriage of the Lamb has come,andhis Bride has made herself ready;8it was granted her to clothe herselfwith fine linen, bright and pure for the fine linen isthe righteous deeds of the saints. 9And the angel said[a]to me, Write this:Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me,These are the true words of God.10ThenI fell down at his feet to worship him,but he said to me, You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold tothe testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. 11Then I sawheaven opened, and behold,a white horse! The one sitting on it is calledFaithful and True, andin righteousness he judges and makes war.12His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head aremany diadems, and he hasa name written that no one knows but himself.13He is clothed ina robe dipped in[b]blood, and the name by which he is called isThe Word of God.14And the armies of heaven,arrayed in fine linen, white and pure,were following him on white horses.15From his mouth comes a sharp swordwith which to strike down the nations, andhe will rule[c]them with a rod of iron.He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.16On his robe and on his thighhe has a name written,King of kings and Lord of lords. 17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called toall the birds that fly directly overhead,Come, gather forthe great supper of God,18to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave,[d]both small and great.19And I sawthe beast and the kings of the earth with their armiesgathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.20And the beast was captured, and with itthe false prophetwho in its presence[e]had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those whoworshiped its image. These two werethrown alive into the lake offire that burns with sulfur.21And the rest were slain by the swordthat came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, andall the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Shepherd the Flock of God 5So I exhort the elders among you,as a fellow elder anda witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:2shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,[a]not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;[b]not for shameful gain, but eagerly;3notdomineering over those in your charge, butbeing examples to the flock.4And whenthe chief Shepherd appears, you will receive theunfadingcrown of glory.5Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders.Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, forGod opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,7casting all your anxieties on him, becausehe cares for you.8Be sober-minded;be watchful. Youradversary the devilprowls aroundlike a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.9Resist him,firm in your faith, knowing thatthe same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.10Andafter you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace,who has called you to hiseternal glory in Christ, will himselfrestore,confirm, strengthen, and establish you.11To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Final Greetings 12BySilvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him,I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this isthe true grace of God.Stand firm in it.13She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so doesMark, my son.14Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

19Therefore let those who suffer according to God's willentrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Suffering for Righteousness' Sake 8Finally, all of you,have unity of mind, sympathy,brotherly love,a tender heart, anda humble mind.9Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary,bless, forto this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.10For Whoever desires to love lifeand see good days,let him keep his tongue from eviland his lips from speaking deceit;11let him turn away from evil and do good;let him seek peace and pursue it.12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,and his ears are open to their prayer.But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 13Nowwho is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?14But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.Have no fear of them,nor be troubled,15butin your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy,always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness andrespect,16having a good conscience, so that,when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.17Forit is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. 18For Christ alsosuffered[a]once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,that he might bring us to God, being put to deathin the flesh but made alivein the spirit,19in which[b]he went andproclaimed[c]to the spirits in prison,20because[d]they formerly did not obey,when God's patience waited in the days of Noah,while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is,eight persons, were brought safely through water.21Baptism, which corresponds to this,now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body butas an appeal to God for a good conscience,through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,22who has gone into heaven andis at the right hand of God,with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Wives and Husbands 3Likewise, wives,be subject to your own husbands, so thateven if some do not obey the word,they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,2when they see yourrespectful and pure conduct.3Do not let your adorning be externalthe braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear4but let your adorning bethe hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.5For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,6as Sarah obeyed Abraham,calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good anddo not fear anything that is frightening. 7Likewise,husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weakervessel, since they are heirs with you[a]of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Submission to Authority 13Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,[a]whether it be to the emperor[b]as supreme,14or to governors as sent by himto punish those who do evil andto praise those who do good.15For this is the will of God,that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.16Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, butliving as servants[c]of God.17Honor everyone.Love the brotherhood.Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.19For this is a gracious thing, when,mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.20For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? Butif when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.21Forto this you have been called,because Christ also suffered for you,leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten,but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that wemight die to sin andlive to righteousness.By his wounds you have been healed.25Foryou were straying like sheep, but have now returned tothe Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

A Living Stone and a Holy People 2So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritualmilk, that by it you may grow up into salvation3if indeed you havetasted that the Lord is good. 4As you come to him, a living stonerejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,5you yourselves like living stones are being built up asa spiritual house, to bea holy priesthood,to offer spiritual sacrificesacceptable to God through Jesus Christ.6For it stands in Scripture: Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame. 7So the honor is for you whobelieve, but for those whodo not believe, The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone,[a] 8and A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense. They stumble because they disobey the word,as they were destined to do. 9But you area chosen race,a royalpriesthood,a holy nation,a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called youout of darkness intohis marvelous light.10Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11Beloved, I urge youas sojourners and exilesto abstain from the passions of the flesh,which wage war against your soul.12Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers,they may see your good deeds and glorify God onthe day of visitation.

Called to Be Holy 13Therefore,preparing your minds for action,[a]andbeing sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.14As obedient children,do not be conformed to the passionsof your former ignorance,15butas he who called you is holy, you also be holyin all your conduct,16since it is written,You shall be holy, for I am holy.17And if youcall on him as Father whojudgesimpartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselveswith fear throughout the time of your exile,18knowing that youwere ransomed fromthe futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,19butwith the precious blood of Christ, like that ofa lambwithout blemish or spot.20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world butwas made manifestin the last times for the sake of you21who through him are believers in God,who raised him from the dead andgave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth fora sincere brotherly love,love one another earnestly from a pure heart,23since you have been born again,not of perishable seed but of imperishable, throughthe living and abiding word of God;24for All flesh is like grassand all its glory like the flower of grass.The grass withers,and the flower falls,25but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this wordis the good news that was preached to you.

Greeting 1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles ofthe Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,2according tothe foreknowledge of God the Father,in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ andfor sprinkling with his blood: Maygrace andpeace be multiplied to you. Born Again to a Living Hope 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!According to his great mercy,he has caused us to be born again to a living hopethrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4toan inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, andunfading,kept in heaven for you,5who by God's power are being guardedthrough faith for a salvationready to be revealed in the last time.6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved byvarious trials,7so thatthe tested genuineness of your faithmore precious than gold that perishesthough it is tested byfiremay be found to result inpraise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.8Though you have not seen him, you love him.Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,9obtainingthe outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10Concerning this salvation,the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,11inquiringwhat person or time[a]the Spirit of Christ in them was indicatingwhen he predictedthe sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.12It was revealed to them thatthey were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to youby the Holy Spirit sent from heaven,things into which angels long to look.

3For I will proclaim the name of theLord;ascribegreatness to our God! 4The Rock,his work is perfect,forall his ways are justice.A God of faithfulness andwithout iniquity,just and upright is he.

Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 139OLord, you havesearched me and known me!2Youknow when I sit down and when I rise up;youdiscern my thoughts from afar.3You search out my path and my lying downand are acquainted with all my ways.4Even before a word is on my tongue,behold, OLord,you know it altogether.5Youhem me in, behind and before,andlay your hand upon me.6Such knowledge istoo wonderful for me;it is high; I cannot attain it. 7Where shall I go from your Spirit?Or whereshall I flee from your presence?8If I ascend to heaven, you are there!If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!9If I take the wings of the morningand dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,10even there your hand shalllead me,and your right hand shall hold me.11If I say,Surely the darkness shall cover me,and the light about me be night,12even the darkness is not dark to you;the night is bright as the day,for darkness is as light with you.

The Creation of the World 1In thebeginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Gen. 1:1 The Word Became Flesh 1In the beginning wasthe Word, andthe Word was with God, andthe Word was God. John 1:1

Paul Addresses the Areopagus 22So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.23For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription:To the unknown god.What therefore you worshipas unknown, this I proclaim to you.24The God who made the world and everything in it, beingLord of heaven and earth,does not live in temples made by man,[a]25nor is he served by human hands,as though he needed anything, since he himselfgives to all mankindlife and breath and everything.26Andhe made from one man every nation of mankind to liveon all the face of the earth,having determined allotted periods andthe boundaries of their dwelling place,27that they should seek God,and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,28for In him we live and move and have our being;[b] as even some ofyour own poets have said, For we are indeed his offspring.[c] 29Being then God's offspring,we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.30The times of ignoranceGod overlooked, butnow hecommands all people everywhere to repent,31because he has fixeda day on whichhe will judge the worldin righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; andof this he has given assurance to allby raising him from the dead. 32Now when they heard ofthe resurrection of the dead,some mocked. But others said,We will hear you again about this.33So Paul went out from their midst.34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysiusthe Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

2Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in itwith thanksgiving.3At the same time, pray also for us, that God mayopen to us a door for the word,to declare the mystery of Christ,on account of which I am in prison4that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Ask, and It Will Be Given 7Ask,and it will be given to you;seek, and you will find;knock, and it will be opened to you.8For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.9Or which one of you, if his son asks him forbread, will give hima stone?10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?11If you then,who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more willyour Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector 9He also told this parable to somewho trustedin themselves that they were righteous,and treated others with contempt:10Two menwent up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.11The Pharisee,standing by himself, prayed[a]thus: God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.12I fast twice a week;I give tithes of all that I get.13But the tax collector,standing far off,would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, butbeat his breast, saying, God,be merciful to me, a sinner!14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. Foreveryone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

23Now maythe God of peace himselfsanctify you completely, and may yourwholespirit and soul and body be kept blameless atthe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.24He who calls you is faithful;he will surely do it.