Saturday, April 11

1Again the hand of the Lord came upon me, and brought me by the Spirit of the Lord, and set me in the midst of the plain, which was full of human bones.

2So He led me round about them, and behold, there was a great multitude of bones on the face of the plain. They were very dry.

3Then He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' So I answered, 'O Lord, You know this.'

4Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

5Thus says the Lord to these bones: 'Behold, I will bring the Spirit of life upon you.

6I will put muscles on you and bring flesh upon you. I will cover you with skin and put my Spirit into you. Then you shall live and know that I am the Lord.' ' '

7So I prophesied as He commanded me, and it came to pass while I prophesied that, behold, there was a shaking, and the bones came together, each one to its joint.

8So I looked, and behold, muscle and flesh grew upon them, and skin covered them over; but no breath was in them.

9Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, 'Thus says the Lord: 'Come from the four winds and breathe upon these dead men; and let them live.' ' '

10So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the Spirit entered into them; and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great assembly.

11Again the Lord spoke to me, saying, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope has perished, and we are lost.'

12Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will open your tombs, bring you up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.

13Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your tombs to lead you, My people, up from their graves.

14I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live; and I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the Lord. I have spoken, and I will do it,' says the Lord.' '

6Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

7Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

13Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'),

14that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

62On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,

63saying, 'Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'

64Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first.'

65Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.'

66So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

1In the beginning God made heaven and earth.

2The earth was invisible and unfinished; and the darkness was over the deep. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water.

3Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light.

4God saw the light; it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

5God called the light Day; the darkness He called Night; and there was evening and morning, one day.

6Then God said, 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water from the water'; and it was so.

7Thus God made the firmament, and God divided the water under the firmament from the water above the firmament.

8So God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good; and there was evening and morning, the second day.

9Then God said, 'Let the water under heaven be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so. The water under heaven was gathered into its places, and the dry land appeared.

10So God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good.

11Then God said, 'Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. Let the fruit tree bear fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth.' It was so.

12Thus the earth brought forth the herb of grass, bearing seed according to its kind and likeness. The fruit tree bore fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind on earth. God saw that it was good.

13So evening and morning were the third day.

1Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

2Behold, darkness and gloom shall cover the earth upon the nations, but the Lord will shine on you; and His glory shall be seen upon you.

3Kings shall come to your light, and the Gentiles to your brightness.

4Lift up your eyes all around, and see your children gathered together. Behold, all your sons come from afar, and your daughters shall be lifted upon their shoulders.

5Then you will see, fear and be amazed in your heart, because the wealth of the sea and of nations and peoples shall change their course and turn to you.

6Herds of camels shall come to you, and the camels of Midian and Ephah shall cover you. All those from Sheba shall come bearing gold, and they shall bring frankincense and proclaim the good news of the Lord's salvation.

7All the sheep of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, and the rams of Nebaioth shall come to you. They shall offer acceptable sacrifices upon My altar, and My house of prayer shall be glorified.

8Who are these who fly like clouds and like doves with young?

9The coastlands waited for Me, and the ships of Tarshish among the first, to bring your children from afar, and silver and gold with them for the sake of the Lord's name, and because the Holy One of Israel is glorified.

10Foreigners shall build your walls, and their kings shall defend you; for I struck you because of My wrath, and I loved you because of My mercy.

11Your gates shall be opened continually, and they shall not be shut day or night, to bring you the power of the Gentiles, and their kings leading them.

12For the nations and their kings who will not serve you shall perish, and those nations will be utterly desolate.

13The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, with the cypress, the pine, and the cedar together, to glorify My holy place.

14The sons of those who humbled and provoked you shall go to you in fear, and you shall be called City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15Because you were forsaken and hated, and there was no one to help you, therefore I will make you an eternal joy, the gladness of generations to generations.

16You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles and eat the wealth of kings. You shall know I am the Lord who saves you and the God of Israel who delivers you.

1Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, “This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

2'This month shall be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you.

3Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, 'On the tenth day of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the family households, a lamb for each home.

4If there be too few in a household, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of souls; he will make his count in lambs according to the needs of each one.

5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You shall take it from the sheep or the kids.

6Then you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight.

7Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.

8They shall eat the flesh on that night, roasted in fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.

9Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.

10You shall let none of it remain until morning, nor shall you break a bone of it; and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire.

11Thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Pascha.

1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2'Arise and go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach in it; for the cry of her wickedness has come up to me.'

3But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish, paid his fare, and boarded the ship to set sail with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

4But the Lord raised up a great wind upon the sea, and there came about a mighty tempest, and the ship was in danger of breaking up.

5And the mariners were afraid and cried out, each one to his god. And they cast out the cargo of the ship into the sea, attempting to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below into the hold of the ship, had gone to sleep, and was snoring.

6The captain came to him and said, 'Why are you snoring? Get up and call upon your God, that your God may keep us safe so we do not perish.'

7And each one said to his shipmate, 'Come! Let us cast lots and find out on whose account this calamity is upon us.' So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

8Then they said to him, 'Tell us, what is your occupation? Where do you come from and from what country and people are you?'

9And he said to them, 'I am a servant of the Lord, and I worship the Lord God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.'

10Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, 'What is this that you did?' For the men knew he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

11Then they said to him, 'What should we do to you that the sea will calm itself for us?' For the sea continued to be tempestuous, and the waves rose up even higher.

12And Jonah said to them, 'Take me up and cast me into the sea, and the sea will grow calm for you, for I know this great tempest is upon you because of me.'

13And the men tried hard to return to the land, but were unable to do so, for the sea arose and grew even more tempestuous against them.

14Then they cried out to the Lord and said, 'Please, O Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man's life, nor bring righteous blood upon us; for you, O Lord, have brought this about.'

15So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.

16And the men feared the Lord even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and vowed vows.

1Now the Lord commanded a huge sea creature to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the sea creature three days and three nights.

2And from the belly of the sea creature, Jonah prayed to the Lord his God,

3and said: 'I cried out in my affliction to the Lord, my God, And He heard my voice; Out of the belly of Hades, You heard the cry of my voice.

4You cast me into the depths of the heart of the sea, And rivers encompassed me; All Your surging waters and Your waves passed over me.

5And I said, 'I have been driven away from Your sight; Shall I again look with favor toward Your holy temple?'

6Water is poured over me to my soul; The lowest depth encircled me; My head plunged into the clefts of the mountains.

7I descended into the earth, The bars of which are everlasting barriers; Yet let my life ascend from corruption, O Lord, my God.

8When my soul was failing from me, I remembered the Lord. May my prayer be brought to You, into Your holy temple.

9Those who follow vanity and lies forsake their own mercy.

10But with a voice of thanksgiving and praise, I will sacrifice to You. As much as I vowed, I shall offer up to You, To You, the Lord of Deliverance.'

11Then the Lord commanded the sea creature, and it cast up Jonah onto the dry land.

1Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying,

2'Arise and go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach there according to the message I previously spoke to you.'

3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, just as the Lord spoke. Nineveh was an exceedingly great city to God, a journey of about three days.

4And Jonah began to enter into the city, going a day's journey, where he proclaimed and said, 'Yet three days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.'

5And the men of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.

6Then the word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, and put on sackcloth, and sat upon ashes.

7And it was proclaimed and spoken in Nineveh by the king and by his great men, saying, 'Let not the men, cattle, oxen, or sheep taste anything, eat, or drink water.'

8So the men and the cattle were clothed with sackcloth, and they cried out fervently to God; and they each turned back from their evil ways and from the wrongdoings of their hands, saying,

9'Who knows if God shall have a change of heart and turn from His fierce anger, that we should not perish?'

10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil ways. And God had a change of heart about the evil which He said He would do to them, and He did not do it.

1But Jonah was deeply grieved and was troubled.

2So he prayed to the Lord and said, 'O Lord, were these not my words when I was yet in my land? Therefore I saw the need to flee to Tarshish; because I knew You to be compassionate and merciful, longsuffering and abundant in mercy, and willing to change your heart concerning evils.

3And now, Master, Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.'

4And the Lord said to Jonah, 'Are you exceedingly grieved?'

5Then Jonah went out of the city and seated himself opposite it. There he made for himself a tent and sat under its shade, until he might observe what would happen to the city.

6And the Lord God commanded a gourd, and it came up over the head of Jonah to be a shade over his head, to shield him from his discomforts. Jonah rejoiced with great joy because of the gourd.

7But early the next morning, God commanded a worm, and it smote the gourd, and the gourd withered up.

8And when the sun rose, God commanded a burning east wind; and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah, and he grew faint and despaired of his life. And he said, 'It is better for me to die than to live.'

9Then God said to Jonah, 'Are you exceedingly grieved on account of the gourd?' And he said, 'I am exceedingly grieved, even unto death.'

10And the Lord said, 'You took pity on the gourd, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came up during the night and perished before the next night.

11And shall I Myself not take pity upon Nineveh, the great city, in which dwell more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know either their right hand or their left—and many livestock?'

10Then the children of Israel kept Pascha on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, to the west of Jericho, across the Jordan in the plain.

11They ate of the unleavened and new wheat of the land.

12On this day, the manna ceased, after they ate from the wheat of the land. Thus, the children of Israel no longer had manna, for they enjoyed the fruits in the land of the Phoenicians in that year.

13Then it came to pass, when Joshua was at Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a sword drawn in his hand. So Joshua came near and said to him, 'Are you for us or on the side of our adversaries?'

14He said to him, 'I am now come, the chief captain of the host of the Lord.' Then Joshua fell on his face upon the earth and said to him, 'O Master, what do you command your servant?'

15The chief captain of the Lord said to Joshua, 'Loose the shoe from your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy.'

20So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham by the desert.

21Moreover, God led them, by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire.

22Thus the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before all the people.

1Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2"Speak to the children of Israel that they turn and camp at the village between Migdol and the sea, opposite Baal Zephon; you shall camp before them by the sea.

3For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, 'They are wandering in the land; the desert has closed them in.'

4Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them; and I will be glorified in Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know I am the Lord.' So they did.

5Now it was told the king of the Egyptians that the people had fled, and the heart of Pharaoh and his servants was turned against the people; and they said, 'Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us?'

6So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him.

7Also, he took six hundred choice chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt with captains over every one of them.

8Thus the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and his servants, and he pursued the children of Israel; and the children of Israel went out with a high hand.

9So the Egyptians pursued them, all the cavalry and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the village opposite Baal Zephon.

10Now when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians marched after them. So they were very afraid, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord.

11Then they said to Moses, 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the desert? Why have you so dealt with us to bring us up out of Egypt?

12Is this not the word we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians'? For it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.'

13Then Moses said to the people, 'Be of good courage. Stand still and see the Lord's salvation which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again.

14The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.'

15Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.

16Now lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it; and let the children of Israel go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

17I indeed will harden Pharaoh's heart and all the Egyptians, and they will go in after them. So I will be glorified in Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horses.

18Then the Egyptians will know I am the Lord, when I am glorified upon Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horses.'

19Now the Angel of God who went before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud also went from before them and stood behind them.

20So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel, and the night passed; but there was such darkness and blackness, they did not come near one another all that night.

21Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord carried back the sea by a strong south wind all that night and made the sea dry ground. Thus the waters were divided.

22So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

23Then the Egyptians pursued and went after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and horsemen.

24Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, the Lord looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud; and He troubled the army of the Egyptians.

25He bound the axles of their chariot wheels and caused them to proceed with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.'

26Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea so the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots and the riders.'

27So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were trying to flee. But the Lord shook off the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.

28Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all of Pharaoh's army that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.

29But the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. The waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30So the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.

31Thus Israel saw the Lord's mighty hand and the things He did to the Egyptians; therefore, the people feared the Lord and believed God and His servant Moses.

1Now Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to God and spoke, saying: “Let us sing to the Lord, for He is greatly glorified. Horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.

2The Lord became my helper and the shield of my salvation; He is my God, and I will glorify Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him.

3The Lord brings wars to nothing; The Lord is His name.

4Pharaoh's chariots and army He cast into the sea; His chosen captains also were drowned in the Red Sea.

5The sea covered them; They sank to the bottom like a stone.

6'Your right hand, O God, is glorified in strength; Your right hand, O God, dashed the enemy in pieces.

7In the greatness of Your glory You broke the adversaries to pieces; You sent forth Your wrath; It consumed them like stubble.

8By the Spirit of Your anger the waters were gathered together; The waves stood upright in the midst of the sea; The depths congealed in the heart of the sea.

9The enemy said, 'I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils; I will satisfy my soul; I will destroy with my sword; My hand shall have dominion.'

10You sent forth Your Spirit; The sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11'Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorified in holiness, Marvelous in praises, doing wonders?

12You stretched out Your right hand; The earth swallowed them up.

13In righteousness You guided Your people whom You redeemed; In strength You called them to Your holy resting place.

14'The nations heard and were angry; Pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.

15The princes of Edom And the chiefs of the Moabites were dismayed; Trembling took hold of them; All the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.

16Fear and dread fell upon them; By the greatness of Your arm, let them become as stone Till Your people pass over, O Lord, Till Your people pass over, whom You purchased.

17Bring them in and plant them in the mountain of their inheritance, In Your prepared habitation, O Lord, which Your hands made ready; The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands established.

18'The Lord reigns forever and ever and ever.'

19For Pharaoh's horses went with his chariots and horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them. But the children of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea.

8'On account of this, wait for Me,' says the Lord, 'until the day of My rising up as a testimony. For My judgment shall be for the gathering of the nations, to receive kings to pour out upon them all My fierce anger, for all the earth shall be consumed with the fire of My jealousy.

9'For then I shall transform for the people a language for her generation, for all to call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him under one yoke.

10From the boundaries of the rivers of Ethiopia they will bring offerings to Me.

11In that day, you will not be ashamed of all your practices in which you acted profanely against Me. For at that time I will take away from you the contempt of your arrogance, and you shall no longer be haughty upon My holy mountain.

12And I will leave among you a gentle and humble people, who will show reverence to the name of the Lord.

13The remnant of Israel will not commit unrighteousness nor speak vanities; neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth; for they will feed and lie down, and there will be no one terrifying them.'

14Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Cry aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Be glad and rejoice with your whole heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

15The Lord has taken away your iniquities and ransomed you from your enemies. The Lord, the King of Israel, is in your midst; you will no longer see any evil.

8But the woman said, 'As the Lord your God lives, I do not have any bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar. You see I am gathering a couple of sticks, so I can go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.'

9But Elijah said to her, 'Take courage, and do as you say, but make me a small cake from it first and bring it to me. Afterward make some for yourself and your son.

10For thus says the Lord, 'The bin of flour shall not be used up, and the jar of oil shall not run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.' '

11So the woman went and did it. Thus she and he and her children ate for many days.

12The bin of flour was not used up, and the jar of oil did not run dry, according to the word the Lord spoke by Elijah.

13Now after this, the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. His sickness was so serious there was no breath left in him.

14So she said to Elijah, 'What have I to do with you, O man of God? You came to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to kill my son.'

15But Elijah said to her, 'Give me your son.' So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.

16Then Elijah cried out to the Lord and said, 'Woe is me, O Lord! The witness of the widow with whom I lodge, you have embittered her by killing her son.'

17Then he stretched himself out on the child three times, and called on the Lord and said, 'O Lord my God, let the soul of this child come back to him.'

18So it happened, and the child cried out.

19He took the child and brought him down from the upper room of the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, 'Behold, your son lives.'

20Then the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.'

21It came to pass many days later, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, 'Go and appear to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.'

22So Elijah went and appeared to Ahab, and there was a severe famine in Samaria.

23Then Ahab called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.

24For when Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.

10and they shall have exceeding gladness in the Lord.'

11Let my soul rejoice exceedingly in the Lord, for He clothed me with the garment of salvation and the tunic of gladness. He put a miter around me like a bridegroom and adorned me with ornaments like a bride. As the earth causes its flower to grow, and as a garden its seeds, so shall the Lord cause righteousness to rise up, and exceeding joy before all the Gentiles.

1For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until My righteousness goes forth as light, and My salvation burns like a lamp.

2The Gentiles will see your righteousness, and kings your glory; and one will call you by your new name, which the Lord shall name.

3You shall also be a crown of beauty in the Lord's hand, and the diadem of a kingdom in the hand of your God.

4You shall no longer be called Forsaken, and your land shall not be called Desert; for you shall be called My Will, and in your land, the Inhabited Earth.

5As a young man lives in wedlock with a virgin, so shall your sons dwell with you, and as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so the Lord shall rejoice over you.

1Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham! Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

2Then He said, 'Take now your beloved son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a whole burnt offering on one of the mountains I tell you.'

3So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey; and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split firewood for the whole burnt offering, and arose and went to the place God told him.

4Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.

5Thus Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.'

6So Abraham took the firewood of the whole burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. Then he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.

7Then Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, 'My father.' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' Then he said, 'Look, the fire and the firewood, but where is the sheep for a whole burnt offering?'

8And Abraham said, 'My son, God will provide for Himself the sheep for a whole burnt offering.' So the two of them went together.

9They came to the place where God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the firewood in order; and he bound Isaac his son hand and foot and laid him on the altar, upon the firewood.

10Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham! Abraham!' So he said, 'Here I am.'

12He then replied, 'Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him, for now I know you fear God, since for My sake you have not spared your beloved son.'

13Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him a ram was caught in a thicket by its horns. So he brought it for a whole burnt offering in the place of his son.

14Thus Abraham called the name of the place The-Lord-Has-Appeared; as it is said to this day, 'In the mountain the Lord was seen.'

15Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,

16and said, 'By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you did this thing, and for My sake did not spare your beloved son,

17I will certainly bless you, and assuredly multiply your seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand on the seashore; and your seed shall inherit the cities of their enemies.

18In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you obeyed My voice.'

1The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because of which He anointed Me. He sent Me to proclaim good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to preach liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind;

2to declare the acceptable year of the Lord, the day of recompense, and to comfort all who mourn;

3to give those who mourn in Zion glory instead of ashes, the oil of gladness to those who mourn; the garment of glory instead of a spirit of indifference. They shall be called generations of righteousness, the planting of the Lord for glory.

4They shall build the ancient deserts, raise up those formerly abandoned, and renew the desert cities that laid waste for generations.

5Foreigners shall come and shepherd your sheep, and aliens shall be your plowmen and vinedressers;

6but you shall be called priests of the Lord and the ministers of God. You shall eat the strength of nations and be admired because of their wealth.

7So they shall inherit the land a second time, and eternal gladness shall be upon their head.

8For I am the Lord, who loves righteousness and hates robberies of wrongdoing. I will give their labor to the righteous and will make with them an everlasting covenant.

9Their seed and their offspring shall be known among the Gentiles. All who see them shall know these are the seed blessed by God;

8Now one day Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a persuasive woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food.

9And the woman said to her husband, 'Look now, I know this is a holy man of God who comes to us regularly.

10Let us make a small room upstairs; and let us put a bed for him there, with a table, a stool, a chair, and a lamp stand. And it shall be when he comes to us, he will turn aside into this place.'

11Now it happened one day that he came and he went there, and turned aside into the upper room and lay down there.

12Then he said to his servant, Gehazi, 'Call this Shunammite woman.' He called her, and she stood before him.

13And he said to Gehazi, 'Say now to her, 'Hear me. You have shown us all this care. What can I do for you? Do you have any request for the king or the commander of the army?' ' But she answered, 'I dwell among my own people.'

14So Elisha said, 'What then is to be done for her?' And his servant, Gehazi, replied, 'She certainly has no son, and her husband is old.'

15Then Elisha called her, and she stood by the door.

16And Elisha said, 'About this time next year, you shall embrace a son.' So she said, 'No, my lord, do not lie to your maidservant!'

17Then as Elisha told her, the woman conceived, and she bore a son when the appointed time came.

18And the child grew.

19And it came to pass when he went out to his father to the reaping, that he said to his father, 'My head, my head!' His father said to a servant, 'Carry him to his mother.'

20So he carried him to his mother, and he lay upon her knees till noon and died.

21She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. She went out and closed the door as she left.

22She called to her husband and said, 'Please bring to me one of the young men and one of the donkeys. I will ride quickly to the man of God and come back.'

23So he said, 'Why go to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.' And she replied, 'It is well.'

24She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, 'Lead onward and do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.'

25She rode and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. And when the man of God saw her, he said to his servant Gehazi, 'Look, it is that Shunammite woman!

26Please run now to meet her and say to her, 'Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?' ' And she answered, 'Peace.'

27Now she came to the man of God on the hill and took hold of him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, 'Leave her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord hid it from me and did not tell me.'

28So she said, 'Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not tell you not to deceive me?'

29Then Elisha said to Gehazi, 'Prepare yourself, take my staff in your hand and be on your way. If you meet anyone, you will not greet him. And if anyone greets you, you will not answer him. You shall lay my staff on the face of the child.'

30Then the mother of the child said, 'As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.' So Elisha arose and followed her.

31Now Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the child's face; but there was neither voice nor hearing. So he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, 'The child is not awakened.'

32Elisha went into the house, and there was the child, lying dead on his bed.

33He went into the room and shut the door against the other two, and prayed to the Lord.

34Then he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he bowed himself down upon him, and the flesh of the child warmed.

35He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and he went up and bowed himself down upon the child seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

36Then Elisha called Gehazi and said, 'Call this Shunammite woman.' So he called her. And she came to where he was and he said, 'Take your son.'

37So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

11Then He remembered the days of old, He who brought up the shepherd of His sheep from the land. Where is He who put His Holy Spirit in them?

12Where is He who led Moses with His right hand, the arm of His glory? He overpowered the water by His presence to make for Himself an everlasting name.

13He brought them through the deep, like a horse through the desert, yet they did not grow weary.

14Like cattle through the plain, the Spirit came down from the Lord and guided them. Thus You led Your people, to make Yourself a glorious name.

15Return from heaven, and look from Your holy and glorious dwelling-place. Where are Your zeal and Your strength; where is the multitude of Your mercy and Your compassion, so as to be patient with us?

16You are our Father, although Abraham did not know us, and Israel did not acknowledge us; but You, O Lord, are our Father. You delivered us, and from the beginning Your name was upon us.

17Why have you led us astray, O Lord, from Your path, and hardened our hearts so as not to fear You? Return for the sake of Your servants, for the sake of the tribes of Your inheritance,

18that we may inherit a small portion of Your holy mountain.

19For our adversaries trampled down Your sanctuary, and we have become as we were from the beginning, when You did not rule us, neither did we call upon Your name.

20If You open heaven, trembling shall take hold of the mountains before You, and they shall melt as wax melts before the fire.

1The fire shall burn up the adversaries, and the Lord's name shall be manifest among the adversaries; and the nations shall be troubled by Your presence.

2When You do glorious things, trembling shall take hold of the mountains because of You.

3From of old we have not heard, nor have our eyes seen any God but You, and Your works which You shall do for those who wait for Your mercy.

4For mercy shall meet with those who do righteousness, and they shall remember your ways. Behold, You were angry, for we sinned; therefore, we went astray.

5We all are become as unclean, and all our righteousness is like a filthy rag. We fall off like leaves because of our wrongdoings; thus the wind will carry us away.

31'Therefore, cry aloud on all sides against Moab. Cry out against the men of Kirheres, a dried-up place.

32I mourn deeply for you, O vine of Sibmah, as with the weeping of Jazer. Your branches reached across the sea and touched Jazer. Destruction came upon your fruit and upon those who gather your grapes.

33Joyfulness and gladness are swept away from the land of Moab, for there is no wine in your winepresses. In the morning, there are none to trample the grapes, neither in the evening any to shout at the joy of harvest.

34From the crying of Heshbon even to Elealeh, and from Zogor as far as Horonaim and Aglath-Salisia, their cities uttered their voice, for the water of Nimrim shall be dried up.

1In his eighteenth year, King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden image. Its height was sixty cubits and its width, six cubits, and he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2Then Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather together the high officials, the commanders, the governors, the rulers, and all those in authority, along with all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image King Nebuchadnezzar set up.

3So the governors, the high officials, the leaders, the great rulers—all those in authority who ruled the provinces came to the dedication of the image King Nebuchadnezzar set up, and they stood before the image Nebuchadnezzar made.

4Then the herald cried out in a loud voice, 'To you it is commanded, O peoples and tribes and languages,

5that in what hour you hear the sound of the trumpet, the pipe, the harp, the four-stringed instrument, the psaltery, the symphony, and every kind of music, you shall fall down and worship the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar set up.

6But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.'

7So at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the trumpet, the pipe, the harp, the four-stringed instrument, the psaltery, the symphony, and every kind of music, all the peoples, tribes, and languages fell down and worshipped the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar set up.

8Then Chaldean men came forward and brought charges against the Jews,

9and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'O king, live forever.

10You, O king, made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the trumpet, the pipe, the harp, the four-stringed instrument, the psaltery, the symphony, and every kind of music,

11but does not fall down and worship the golden image shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.

12Now there are certain Jews you set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Those men did not obey your decree, O king; and they do not serve your gods, nor do they worship the golden image you set up.'

13Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, gave the command to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So the men were brought before the king.

14Nebuchadnezzar then answered and said to them, 'Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image I set up?

15Now then, if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, the pipe, the harp, the four-stringed instrument, the psaltery, the symphony, and every kind of music, that you shall fall down and worship the golden image I made. But indeed, if you do not worship it at that time, you shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace. Then what god is there who will deliver you from my hands?'

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'We have no need to answer you in regard to this thing.

17For there is a God in the heavens, whom we serve, and He is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace; and He will deliver us from your hands, O king.

18But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image you set up.'

19Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of anger, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So he commanded them to heat the furnace seven times more, until it burned to its fullest.

20Then he commanded certain very strong men to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21Thereupon, those men were bound together with their sandals, caps, leg-coverings, and clothing, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22Because the king's command was urgent, and the furnace was exceedingly hot,

23these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

3Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

4Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

7For he who has died has been freed from sin.

8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

9knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

10For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

11Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.

2And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

3His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.

4And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

5But the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

6He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

7And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.'

8So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

9And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

10Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.'

11Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.

12When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

13saying, 'Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'

14And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure.'

15So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

16Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.

17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen.